I will continue to refine this page and the map of our tracks over time.
Our driving tracks are here.
Our trip was 28.4 days long: we left Victoria at 1:30PM on 02Nov2016, and arrived back at 11:20PM on 30Nov2016.
We had 26.6 days in NZ: we arrived at 7:50AM on 04Nov2016 and left at 10:20PM on 30Nov2016.
We had 22.4 days on our Stray Journey: we started at 7AM on 05Nov2016 and finished at 5:30PM on 27Nov2016
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Day 26 - Heading home
We packed up and checked out at 10AM, but we left our bags at the front desk and wandered down to the waterfront. The shuttle company was good with coming at 1:30 to take us to our (now) 5PM flight, so we had over 3 hours. We paid $20 each to visit the Maritime Museum, but less than half way through, we were interrupted by a call from United Airlines. Our flight was going to be delayed by 7 hours now, so come at the originally scheduled time to get on another flight.
So I called the shuttle service and they were good enough to get us back at the original time of 12:30, but we had to rush back to the hotel to meet the driver. We half-ran-half-walked back to the hotel and saw the driver out front. He waited while we grabbed our bags, and then he whipped us to the airport. We then proceeded to wait 3 hours to check in at the United Airlines desk. 3 hours. 3 hours of the most unorganized, inefficient service I have ever seen.
In hindsight, I guess we should have butted to the head of the line to change our flight to the one that *was* getting let through, but all we really knew at that point was that our flight (UA916) was just supposed to wait at the back. While in line, someone told us that she was able to switch her flight, so I tried calling United Airlines to do that. First, the automated attendant couldn't find my reservation my my confirmation number, then by my last name, then by spelling out my last name. So I was passed to a real person ... but he was with domestic flights, not international. So I was passed to the international department. She couldn't find my reservation by confirmation number, but was eventually able to find it by last name, flight number, and flight date.
But that didn't help. She said my flight was on time and wondered where I got the info that it was delayed. I pointed out that there were hundreds of others in the lineup I was standing in that would concur that our flight was delayed. I gave up with her at that point.
When we did get to the front of the line, all the booths got moved to different booths. So it took another half hour for the attendants to settle back in. When we got seen, we were sent to another line. When we got seen at that line, we were sent to another line. When we got to the front of that line, we got issued our boarding cards. She scribbled out the 15;10 and penciled-in 21:00 (although we knew it was 22:00). What we didn't notice was that she issued our connecting flight boarding card (which we were sure to miss, leaving 7 hours late) without change. Our compensation was 2x $14 each in food/drink vouchers.
So we went for cider and food. Then we went through security. That wasn't fair either, but this time it was in our favour: we both tried to use the automated passport readers, but were refused. So we went to the special line and got through ahead of dozens of others.
Once through all that, we got a tea (Kate) and a raisin bun (me). We still had Kate's second voucher, so we then went for drinks. Two places wouldn't accept the voucher, even though it says any food/drink in the airport. The third place accepted it and so we had a couple more ciders. Anything to pass the time.
We got on the 11+ hour flight well after 10:30PM. The flight was a bit turbulent, but otherwise uneventful. Once in San Francisco, we disembarked, went through immigration, grabbed our bags, went through customs, checked our bags into the next flight, and were lining up for another security check when I noticed my wallet was missing. I knew I had it back in the secure area of Auckland Airport (AUK), but didn't know where I lost it after that. So I went back through security and checked back to the Air Canada check-in. Nope. Called United Airlines lost and found and AUK lost and found, but had to leave messages. Went back through security and couldn't find Kate ... she wasn't where I left her. Great. The third thing I lost on this trip.
She wandered back and told me she had gone looking for gate G92 (which was down the escalator from where we were sitting) because there was an announcement for us to go there. I checked at G92, G94, and one other UA terminal, but they didn't know anything about an announcement for us. So I started emailing lost and found with United Airlines, AUK, and SFO.
The announcement came again, and it was for G93. I went there and asked, and they didn't know anything about it. Come on, UA ... this is silly. The announcement came one more time ... again for G93. This time, the crowd at that gate was all on the plane headed to Dublin, so finding the one person with my wallet was straightforward. Apparently, the wallet had slipped out of my pants onto the seat of the AUK>SFO flight.
Anyway, all there was to do now was buy duty free, have another meal, and get onto our next flight. Unfortunately, our nice SFO>YYJ (San Francisco to Victoria) flight was now SFO>YVR>YYJ (San Francisco to Vancouver to Victoria) and we weren't getting to Victoria until 11:20PM ... 10 hours later than planned. Luckily, my super-helpful and flexible parents were able to drop Kate's car off at the airport with a hidden key, and we were able to just grab it and go and get home by 12:30AM.
Yes, Tiggin was very happy to see us, and everything looked fine at home.
All in all, a very successful trip. I will collect and organize pictures and video from our various devices (once I receive my GoPro from New Zealand) and post some up for you to see.
So I called the shuttle service and they were good enough to get us back at the original time of 12:30, but we had to rush back to the hotel to meet the driver. We half-ran-half-walked back to the hotel and saw the driver out front. He waited while we grabbed our bags, and then he whipped us to the airport. We then proceeded to wait 3 hours to check in at the United Airlines desk. 3 hours. 3 hours of the most unorganized, inefficient service I have ever seen.
In hindsight, I guess we should have butted to the head of the line to change our flight to the one that *was* getting let through, but all we really knew at that point was that our flight (UA916) was just supposed to wait at the back. While in line, someone told us that she was able to switch her flight, so I tried calling United Airlines to do that. First, the automated attendant couldn't find my reservation my my confirmation number, then by my last name, then by spelling out my last name. So I was passed to a real person ... but he was with domestic flights, not international. So I was passed to the international department. She couldn't find my reservation by confirmation number, but was eventually able to find it by last name, flight number, and flight date.
But that didn't help. She said my flight was on time and wondered where I got the info that it was delayed. I pointed out that there were hundreds of others in the lineup I was standing in that would concur that our flight was delayed. I gave up with her at that point.
When we did get to the front of the line, all the booths got moved to different booths. So it took another half hour for the attendants to settle back in. When we got seen, we were sent to another line. When we got seen at that line, we were sent to another line. When we got to the front of that line, we got issued our boarding cards. She scribbled out the 15;10 and penciled-in 21:00 (although we knew it was 22:00). What we didn't notice was that she issued our connecting flight boarding card (which we were sure to miss, leaving 7 hours late) without change. Our compensation was 2x $14 each in food/drink vouchers.
So we went for cider and food. Then we went through security. That wasn't fair either, but this time it was in our favour: we both tried to use the automated passport readers, but were refused. So we went to the special line and got through ahead of dozens of others.
Once through all that, we got a tea (Kate) and a raisin bun (me). We still had Kate's second voucher, so we then went for drinks. Two places wouldn't accept the voucher, even though it says any food/drink in the airport. The third place accepted it and so we had a couple more ciders. Anything to pass the time.
We got on the 11+ hour flight well after 10:30PM. The flight was a bit turbulent, but otherwise uneventful. Once in San Francisco, we disembarked, went through immigration, grabbed our bags, went through customs, checked our bags into the next flight, and were lining up for another security check when I noticed my wallet was missing. I knew I had it back in the secure area of Auckland Airport (AUK), but didn't know where I lost it after that. So I went back through security and checked back to the Air Canada check-in. Nope. Called United Airlines lost and found and AUK lost and found, but had to leave messages. Went back through security and couldn't find Kate ... she wasn't where I left her. Great. The third thing I lost on this trip.
She wandered back and told me she had gone looking for gate G92 (which was down the escalator from where we were sitting) because there was an announcement for us to go there. I checked at G92, G94, and one other UA terminal, but they didn't know anything about an announcement for us. So I started emailing lost and found with United Airlines, AUK, and SFO.
The announcement came again, and it was for G93. I went there and asked, and they didn't know anything about it. Come on, UA ... this is silly. The announcement came one more time ... again for G93. This time, the crowd at that gate was all on the plane headed to Dublin, so finding the one person with my wallet was straightforward. Apparently, the wallet had slipped out of my pants onto the seat of the AUK>SFO flight.
Anyway, all there was to do now was buy duty free, have another meal, and get onto our next flight. Unfortunately, our nice SFO>YYJ (San Francisco to Victoria) flight was now SFO>YVR>YYJ (San Francisco to Vancouver to Victoria) and we weren't getting to Victoria until 11:20PM ... 10 hours later than planned. Luckily, my super-helpful and flexible parents were able to drop Kate's car off at the airport with a hidden key, and we were able to just grab it and go and get home by 12:30AM.
Yes, Tiggin was very happy to see us, and everything looked fine at home.
All in all, a very successful trip. I will collect and organize pictures and video from our various devices (once I receive my GoPro from New Zealand) and post some up for you to see.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Day 25 - Auckland
This is our last full day in New Zealand. We took advantage of the slow/quiet morning by sleeping in, then ventured out to see what we could see. For the most part, we just hit City Centre and a few of the major parks. On our way back to the hotel, we picked up sushi and ate it in the walking area near the hotel.
Back in the room, Kate took the opportunity to nap while I blogged. Just after 3PM, we headed down to the waterfront to get picked up by Auckland Sea Kayaks for our Sunset Paddle. There were 12 of us. They drove us to Heliers Bay, got us suited up, gave us a quick lesson (for those who hadn't kayaked before), and we set off. The crossing was nearly 5km. The seas were nearly 2m at some points, so we got a bit wet. This was not a problem as the water was bathtub temperature.
When we landed, they made us tea/coffee, and we had time to read some of the island info while the guides cooked the steaks and pulled out the rest of the food. We the steaks, we had salad, pasta salad, juice, and apples. After eating, we started the nearly 3km walk up Rangitoto Hill, from which we had great views of Auckland and the surrounding area.
We clicked some pics and walked down again. There were some talkative girls in our group who talked all the way up and back down again. We got muffins for dessert before heading back out on the water. It was a bit rainy on the way back, but the silence was golden.
We hopped back into the shuttle buses, and we got dropped off back near our hotel. We got back in time for another moving in our room: Captain Fantastic.
When we got back to wifi, we got the notification that our flight the next day was going to leave at 5:00PM instead of 3:10PM. I wrote to our shuttle service and asked if they could come 2 hours later.
Back in the room, Kate took the opportunity to nap while I blogged. Just after 3PM, we headed down to the waterfront to get picked up by Auckland Sea Kayaks for our Sunset Paddle. There were 12 of us. They drove us to Heliers Bay, got us suited up, gave us a quick lesson (for those who hadn't kayaked before), and we set off. The crossing was nearly 5km. The seas were nearly 2m at some points, so we got a bit wet. This was not a problem as the water was bathtub temperature.
When we landed, they made us tea/coffee, and we had time to read some of the island info while the guides cooked the steaks and pulled out the rest of the food. We the steaks, we had salad, pasta salad, juice, and apples. After eating, we started the nearly 3km walk up Rangitoto Hill, from which we had great views of Auckland and the surrounding area.
We clicked some pics and walked down again. There were some talkative girls in our group who talked all the way up and back down again. We got muffins for dessert before heading back out on the water. It was a bit rainy on the way back, but the silence was golden.
We hopped back into the shuttle buses, and we got dropped off back near our hotel. We got back in time for another moving in our room: Captain Fantastic.
When we got back to wifi, we got the notification that our flight the next day was going to leave at 5:00PM instead of 3:10PM. I wrote to our shuttle service and asked if they could come 2 hours later.
Day 24 - Auckland with Mat
Today we got together with a friend we made on our Peru trip (2 years ago): Mat Walsh. He took the day off (Monday) to spend with us, although he was since burdened with a work meeting in the mid-afternoon.
Mat met us at our hotel at 7:30AM, and (with his permission) we invited our new friend along: Yohan. We all hopped into his new Nissan Dualis and drove out to Mokoroa Falls for a 2.5 hour "tramp" (tracks here). The whole walk was in pretty deep forest, and much of it (time-wise) was spent doing river crossings across the stream there. The crossings varied from a suspension bridge, to tip-toeing across in our boots, to wading through with our trousers rolled up, to taking our trousers off because it was at least thigh deep. We even got to see a 1m long eel in the river (they're not harmful).
Unfortunately, I lost my good sunglasses on this walk. I guess that's not surprising as it took a lot of effort not to fall along this very challenging (and muddy) trail.
On our way back to the city, Mat took us to a brewery/restaurant for a beer/cider. Then he dropped us back at the hotel in lots of time for him to get to his meeting. Yohan and Kate/I went to our respective hotels and rested for the afternoon. We got together again at 5:30PM, out front of our hotel. Yohan was there, and when Mat and Jillian appeared, we all walked up to Food Truck Garage for dinner.
We got to know Mat and Jillian a bit better over dinner. Then we parted ways and the three of us walked another kilometre or so to Joy Ice Cream for cones. We walked a bit more, but decided to say goodbye to Yohan and call it a night.
Kate and I watched Captain Fantastic before bed. A little too Hollywood for us, but it had some good messages. I also sent out yahoo and thank you emails regarding my lost-but-now-found GoPro: the good folks at Trail Journeys emailed to say that they found my camera!
Mat met us at our hotel at 7:30AM, and (with his permission) we invited our new friend along: Yohan. We all hopped into his new Nissan Dualis and drove out to Mokoroa Falls for a 2.5 hour "tramp" (tracks here). The whole walk was in pretty deep forest, and much of it (time-wise) was spent doing river crossings across the stream there. The crossings varied from a suspension bridge, to tip-toeing across in our boots, to wading through with our trousers rolled up, to taking our trousers off because it was at least thigh deep. We even got to see a 1m long eel in the river (they're not harmful).
Unfortunately, I lost my good sunglasses on this walk. I guess that's not surprising as it took a lot of effort not to fall along this very challenging (and muddy) trail.
On our way back to the city, Mat took us to a brewery/restaurant for a beer/cider. Then he dropped us back at the hotel in lots of time for him to get to his meeting. Yohan and Kate/I went to our respective hotels and rested for the afternoon. We got together again at 5:30PM, out front of our hotel. Yohan was there, and when Mat and Jillian appeared, we all walked up to Food Truck Garage for dinner.
We got to know Mat and Jillian a bit better over dinner. Then we parted ways and the three of us walked another kilometre or so to Joy Ice Cream for cones. We walked a bit more, but decided to say goodbye to Yohan and call it a night.
Kate and I watched Captain Fantastic before bed. A little too Hollywood for us, but it had some good messages. I also sent out yahoo and thank you emails regarding my lost-but-now-found GoPro: the good folks at Trail Journeys emailed to say that they found my camera!
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Day 23 - Wellington to Auckland
Here it is: the last day of our 23-day tour.
It didn't start out so well ... I hate to complain, but breakfast was pretty pathetic:
It was a killer drive: approximately 643 km. I should have stayed up last night so I could sleep on the bus, but I didn't ... so it was a tedious and painful drive for some. (I can't sit in one place for more than an hour without developing terrible lower back pain.) We did stop every hour or two, so it was bearable ... but it was pretty consistently rainy and windy, so the bus bumped and shook the whole way.
We didn't get too much traffic coming into Auckland ... I guess because it is Sunday. We started dropping folks off at their respective hotels/hostels, saying our goodbyes as they went. They had just opened up Queen Street after the Santa Claus parade this afternoon, so Thomas, Kate, and I got dropped off near our respective hotels and we waved goodbye to Sina and Caro as the bus continued on to its final stops past the huge Christmas decorations.
We had arranged one final dinner for the last six members: Thomas, Bianca, Yohan, Emma, Kate, and I. We ate at Vultures' Lane Craft Beer Bar, then said our goodbyes.
This blog will continue for the last three days of our trip: hiking Monday, kayaking Tuesday evening, and flying home on Wednesday.
It didn't start out so well ... I hate to complain, but breakfast was pretty pathetic:
- cereal and milk, but no bowls (I had to go next door for mine)
- jam, marmalade, and toaster, but only white bread
- coffee, tea, but no juice
- no fruit
It was a killer drive: approximately 643 km. I should have stayed up last night so I could sleep on the bus, but I didn't ... so it was a tedious and painful drive for some. (I can't sit in one place for more than an hour without developing terrible lower back pain.) We did stop every hour or two, so it was bearable ... but it was pretty consistently rainy and windy, so the bus bumped and shook the whole way.
We didn't get too much traffic coming into Auckland ... I guess because it is Sunday. We started dropping folks off at their respective hotels/hostels, saying our goodbyes as they went. They had just opened up Queen Street after the Santa Claus parade this afternoon, so Thomas, Kate, and I got dropped off near our respective hotels and we waved goodbye to Sina and Caro as the bus continued on to its final stops past the huge Christmas decorations.
We had arranged one final dinner for the last six members: Thomas, Bianca, Yohan, Emma, Kate, and I. We ate at Vultures' Lane Craft Beer Bar, then said our goodbyes.
This blog will continue for the last three days of our trip: hiking Monday, kayaking Tuesday evening, and flying home on Wednesday.
Day 22 - Christchurch to Wellington
We had to say "goodbye" to half our team today. It was so thoughtful of them to get up to see us off.
Happy first drove us to the Stray lot to quickly check the last bus for my camera: no luck. Then he drove us to Christchurch Airport to pick up our two new team members. This is when we noticed there was no modem on the bus: 8+ hours without Internet! Ouch.
From there, it was approximately 472 km to Picton because of closures on Highway 1 ... but Happy still found time for us to do a wine tasting at Whitehaven Winery. I'm afraid I don't have many other details of today's journey because I slept through most of it (the advantage of staying up late to blog).
There was some sort of mixup with the flight, because Happy left us at Picton Airport with no plane/pilot in sight. Eventually a van came, picked us up, and drove us to the next airport: Blenheim. Apparently this was the result of the strong winds. We all got on a Cessna 208, with one non-Stray passenger ... and a pubescent pilot flew us across to Wellington Airport, with only a few bumps along the way.
We were met at the departures (?!) area by Seagull and his apprentice Mike ... in a Weta tour bus (?!). (It made better sense when we got to the Nomad Hostel and they swapped busses back with our Weta tour guide from two weeks ago.)
Once checked into the hostel, we all had a brief walk up Cuba Street to get cash from the cash machine and walk past the Saturday-night food stalls. We then walked back to Blend for more ribs/burgers/salad and drinks ... just no shooters or dancing this time.
I have never heard the wind like we heard it that night ... apparently it was hitting 110-130 kmh!
Friday, November 25, 2016
Day 21 - Naseby to Christchurch
Today was an extra long driving day.
We drove to the East coast and stopped at the Moeraki Boulders where I grabbed a sandwich. We stopped for lunch at Oamaru and we grabbed some other things to make (and eat) for lunch. We continued on to the Christchurch Airport where we dropped off the two Mexican girls. We then dropped off BC and Ty at their accommodation. The rest of us headed into Christchurch. Happy dropped us off at the YHA Backpackers where we checked in.
It was at this point that I realised I didn't have my GoPro. I checked all my bags thoroughly. I emailed the last accommodation and place we had lunch the previous day, but they both emailed me back shortly after and said they looked but didn't see it. I also reconnected with Happy a bit later, and he said he had checked the bus, but didn't see it. So that means I either put it in with the bicycle helmets, or it was lost/stolen along the way. I'm figuring on the former, so I asked the bicycle operators via Stray Travel and will hope to find out tomorrow.
We drove to the East coast and stopped at the Moeraki Boulders where I grabbed a sandwich. We stopped for lunch at Oamaru and we grabbed some other things to make (and eat) for lunch. We continued on to the Christchurch Airport where we dropped off the two Mexican girls. We then dropped off BC and Ty at their accommodation. The rest of us headed into Christchurch. Happy dropped us off at the YHA Backpackers where we checked in.
It was at this point that I realised I didn't have my GoPro. I checked all my bags thoroughly. I emailed the last accommodation and place we had lunch the previous day, but they both emailed me back shortly after and said they looked but didn't see it. I also reconnected with Happy a bit later, and he said he had checked the bus, but didn't see it. So that means I either put it in with the bicycle helmets, or it was lost/stolen along the way. I'm figuring on the former, so I asked the bicycle operators via Stray Travel and will hope to find out tomorrow.
Kate, Michael, Yohan, and I walked around Hagley Park and down to (what's left of) Christchurch Cathedral. We walked back to the hostel, and connected with a few others in our group for dinner. We struck out on a couple of ideas, but settled on C1 Espresso, a very unique cafe. But it wasn't as simple as that ... we had to find the rest of our group, who were lost a few blocks away. We found them and brought them over, but they didn't like it and decided to eat elsewhere. I think we've been travelling together too long and we're starting to not get along as well.
Oh well, dinner was good, and all the walking around gave us more insight into just how damaged this city is. We went to Micky Finns Irish Pub afterwards, and they had a live band, so we left kinda late.
Internet is good at this hostel, so that's why I stayed up until 4:30AM catching up on blogging.
Day 20 - Queenstown to Naseby
Today was a long one. We met our new driver, Happy. We loaded up and headed down the road, but every time we hit cruising speed, the new bus would make a loud beep until the engine was switched off. After the third time (and a call to head office), Happy figured out it must be the back door. He gave it a shove and that fixed it.
We drove past a ski area and stopped an old mining town called Arrowtown. I was quickly bored with the uber-tourist town and walked along the river a bit (pic below).
We got to Oturehua a bit later to find 21 bikes and helmets for us to ride down part of the Otago Rail Trail. ... from there to Lauder. It went through some amazing pastureland, through two tunnels, and over (at least) one bridge. We rode 23km, mostly downhill, in 1hour17minutes.
There's a great cafe at Lauder called the Stationside Cafe where we bought and ate a hot lunch.
A few of us explored the town. It is definitely a ghost town, but I found some amazing trees surrounding the local park, including New Zealand's largest Christmas Tree, and huge trees from North America, China, India, Norway, etc.
For dinner, we all gathered at the Royal Hotel where we were served Shepard's Pie, other than the vegetarians (who got fish), and the glutard (who got quiche).
After dinner, a few of us sat down to a movie: I attached Kate's laptop to their big TV in the breakfast room and we watched Mr. Church that I had brought on hard drive.
We drove past a ski area and stopped an old mining town called Arrowtown. I was quickly bored with the uber-tourist town and walked along the river a bit (pic below).
We got to Oturehua a bit later to find 21 bikes and helmets for us to ride down part of the Otago Rail Trail. ... from there to Lauder. It went through some amazing pastureland, through two tunnels, and over (at least) one bridge. We rode 23km, mostly downhill, in 1hour17minutes.
There's a great cafe at Lauder called the Stationside Cafe where we bought and ate a hot lunch.
Then we drove to Naseby where we checked into the Royal Hotel. Actually, we didn't all fit there, so three of the guys were checked into a cabin at the local campground, and others went to The Old Doctor's Residence.
A few of us explored the town. It is definitely a ghost town, but I found some amazing trees surrounding the local park, including New Zealand's largest Christmas Tree, and huge trees from North America, China, India, Norway, etc.
For dinner, we all gathered at the Royal Hotel where we were served Shepard's Pie, other than the vegetarians (who got fish), and the glutard (who got quiche).
After dinner, a few of us sat down to a movie: I attached Kate's laptop to their big TV in the breakfast room and we watched Mr. Church that I had brought on hard drive.
Day 19 - Queenstown in the rain
We had booked six bikes for this day, but decided against it when we saw the weather: it was raining pretty hard. So Michael, Kate, and I walked from Reavers around the area called Queenstown Gardens. By the time we got around it, the weather had lightened up a bit, so we (well, I) changed my mind again and we went and got the bikes with Bianca, BC, and Ty. (Thomas was turned off my my mind-changing.)
By the time we were outfitted, it was 11AM and the rain had started again ... but we went out anyway. We headed out past the Queenstown airport, and turned back when we ran out of time: we wanted to get the bikes back in 2 hours, and Michael had a scheduled connection around 1PM. The rain was on and off, but some of the views near the turn-around point made it worthwhile.
BC and Ty were falling behind, so I sent Kate (with the spare tires and tools) and the others ahead while I stayed with those two. Wouldn't you know it ... that's when I got a flat tire. I was able to ride on it for a km or so, but then I had to walk the last 2 km. Not a fun way to finish a ride.
Michael went off to visit his friend, while BC, Ty, Kate, and I went to Devil Burger for lunch (the lineup for Ferg Burgers was nuts). They all went off to shop, so I went back to the room and napped.
For dinner, Kate and I walked to the grocery store and got salad, yogurt, and cider ... and took it back to the room. That, plus soup (bought on the first day) and leftover pizza (from The Cow), made up our dinner. We chatted with others, then headed to bed around 11PM.
By the time we were outfitted, it was 11AM and the rain had started again ... but we went out anyway. We headed out past the Queenstown airport, and turned back when we ran out of time: we wanted to get the bikes back in 2 hours, and Michael had a scheduled connection around 1PM. The rain was on and off, but some of the views near the turn-around point made it worthwhile.
BC and Ty were falling behind, so I sent Kate (with the spare tires and tools) and the others ahead while I stayed with those two. Wouldn't you know it ... that's when I got a flat tire. I was able to ride on it for a km or so, but then I had to walk the last 2 km. Not a fun way to finish a ride.
Michael went off to visit his friend, while BC, Ty, Kate, and I went to Devil Burger for lunch (the lineup for Ferg Burgers was nuts). They all went off to shop, so I went back to the room and napped.
For dinner, Kate and I walked to the grocery store and got salad, yogurt, and cider ... and took it back to the room. That, plus soup (bought on the first day) and leftover pizza (from The Cow), made up our dinner. We chatted with others, then headed to bed around 11PM.
Day 18 - Queenstown in the sun
After breakfast, most of us wandered up to Skyline: a cable car up to a restaurant and luge area. Two of us walked up and back down (Thomas and Bianca), while the rest of us took the cable car. Eight of us had a lunch/luge package that included three rides on the luge (tons-o-fun!) and an extravagant lunch overlooking the town, lake, and surrounding mountains. Others joined us for the luge, but went back down the cable car for lunch at Ferg Burgers.
We did some more walking around the town and to/from Reavers Lodge, but 8 of us eventually went to The Cow Restaurant for dinner. From there we went to the other Peter Pan's to start our "Big Night Out" ... an organised pub crawl of five pubs where we got a free shot at each pub. That was pretty lame, so about five of us opted out after the 4th pub and headed back to Reavers.
Day 17 - Doubtful Sound to Queenstown
I woke up just before they started the engines at 6:15AM. I was on deck just in time to see the 6-or-so dolphins toodling by. Breakfast was 7-8AM, and the crew made our beds while we ate.
Waterfalls came to life due to all the rain. Hundreds of them. Some of them cascading more than a kilometer to the sea. The captain was a lot of fun, nosing the ship into interesting spots on our way back to Deep Cove.
(pictures to follow)
We disembarked at 10AM, and were shuttled to the next boat. Some of us worked on a crossword while we sailed through the rain, until we docked at noon. We stopped in Te Anau 12:30-1:00 for lunch and to pick up Liz and Cherry, before driving to Queenstown.
In Queenstown, we organised some activities at Peter Pan's, then went to our accommodation for the next three nights: Reavers Lodge. Once we got checked in, we went to Loco Cantina for dinner and drinks. A few of our group visited a haunted house across the street, while others (us included) went to the Cookie Bar. We got back to the haunted house just as they emerged. We tried to get into another bar, but our youngest member (Yohan) didn't have his passport, so we were turned away. We picked up drinks from a liquor store and wandered back to the room to chat a bit before bed.
Day 16 - Makarora to Manapouri
After a quick breakfast, we hopped on the bus and drove to Manapouri. We stopped a few times for snacks and bathroom breaks, like at Wanaka.
When we got to Manapouri, we found there was a mixup with the tickets: we only had 21 tickets for the 22 of us, and the rest of the cruise was fully booked. To solve this, Cherry offered to go to Milford Sound instead of Doubtful Sound, and Liz offered to join her. We were all sad to have to split up, but it was only for 24 hours.
So the 20 of us took the ferry which takes us across Lake Manapouri to (near) Manapouri Power Station, where we got off, and hopped on two buses that shuttled us over a pass to the Deep Cove area of Doubtful Sound. From here, we got on the Fiordland Navigator for an overnight cruise around Doubtful Sound. The staff was the hardest-working crew I have seen, providing us with coffee, tea, cookies, soup, dinner, drinks (extra $), breakfast, and some information/entertainment.
The scenery was entertainment enough. Even with 3m (10 feet) of rain per year, it is picturesque ... especially when it is raining hard (as we found out the next morning).
One of the first things we did was a boat excursion in Crooked Arm: some (including Jeff) by kayak, and others (including Kate) by tender. It was raining lightly, but it gave us a closer look at our surroundings ... which looked like Jurassic Park ... 1-1.5km high mountains rising nearly straight up from the water, with Jurassic plant life clinging to the rock faces.
After the paddle came the optional swim. Surprisingly, nearly 20 people braved the cold brackish water (including Jeff). Most followed that up with a warm shower.
When we hit the open ocean, the ship started pitching. I don't know if we turned around because of that, because that was the plan, or because penguins had been sighted ... but we turned around, and the next thing we saw were five fiordland-crested penguins ... which, according to them, are the rarest penguins in the world.
Dinner started shortly after that, and consisted of roast beef, lamb, smoked salmon, roast veggies, and many salads and desserts. After dinner, one of the crew gave us a humorous and informational presentation on Doubtful Sound.
There may have been some conversations after that, but some of us went below deck and flaked out in our bunks around 10:30PM.
When we got to Manapouri, we found there was a mixup with the tickets: we only had 21 tickets for the 22 of us, and the rest of the cruise was fully booked. To solve this, Cherry offered to go to Milford Sound instead of Doubtful Sound, and Liz offered to join her. We were all sad to have to split up, but it was only for 24 hours.
So the 20 of us took the ferry which takes us across Lake Manapouri to (near) Manapouri Power Station, where we got off, and hopped on two buses that shuttled us over a pass to the Deep Cove area of Doubtful Sound. From here, we got on the Fiordland Navigator for an overnight cruise around Doubtful Sound. The staff was the hardest-working crew I have seen, providing us with coffee, tea, cookies, soup, dinner, drinks (extra $), breakfast, and some information/entertainment.
The scenery was entertainment enough. Even with 3m (10 feet) of rain per year, it is picturesque ... especially when it is raining hard (as we found out the next morning).
One of the first things we did was a boat excursion in Crooked Arm: some (including Jeff) by kayak, and others (including Kate) by tender. It was raining lightly, but it gave us a closer look at our surroundings ... which looked like Jurassic Park ... 1-1.5km high mountains rising nearly straight up from the water, with Jurassic plant life clinging to the rock faces.
After the paddle came the optional swim. Surprisingly, nearly 20 people braved the cold brackish water (including Jeff). Most followed that up with a warm shower.
When we hit the open ocean, the ship started pitching. I don't know if we turned around because of that, because that was the plan, or because penguins had been sighted ... but we turned around, and the next thing we saw were five fiordland-crested penguins ... which, according to them, are the rarest penguins in the world.
Dinner started shortly after that, and consisted of roast beef, lamb, smoked salmon, roast veggies, and many salads and desserts. After dinner, one of the crew gave us a humorous and informational presentation on Doubtful Sound.
There may have been some conversations after that, but some of us went below deck and flaked out in our bunks around 10:30PM.
Day 15 - Franz Josef to Makarora
OK, didn't write any notes about this for 5 days ... so going by memory.
Grabbed breakfast and hopped on the bus. Can't remember much until we hit Makarora. (Maybe reading what Kate wrote, or looking at our pictures, will refresh my memory.)
At Makarora, we checked into our cute little A-frame cabins, then wandered down to the Wilkin River Jets office. They drove us down to the river, where we hopped into two incredible jet boats. On the jet boats, we zipped down the Makarora River, then up the Wilkin River, and back, for 50 minutes (35km) of adrenaline.
(picture to follow)
We came back to a great dinner of lamb shank, had a brief walk, then chatted in our cabin with Michael and Yohan, before retiring for the night.
Grabbed breakfast and hopped on the bus. Can't remember much until we hit Makarora. (Maybe reading what Kate wrote, or looking at our pictures, will refresh my memory.)
At Makarora, we checked into our cute little A-frame cabins, then wandered down to the Wilkin River Jets office. They drove us down to the river, where we hopped into two incredible jet boats. On the jet boats, we zipped down the Makarora River, then up the Wilkin River, and back, for 50 minutes (35km) of adrenaline.
(picture to follow)
We came back to a great dinner of lamb shank, had a brief walk, then chatted in our cabin with Michael and Yohan, before retiring for the night.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Day 14 - Franz Josef
It always happens ... my blogging falls behind when we're having too much fun. I have been jotting down notes along the way, but I'm nearly a week behind on posting. So yes, we're having a lot of fun. It also makes it difficult when we only get 150MB per day on the bus, and our stops are hit-and-miss when it comes to wifi.
Because we were out partying last night, and because of the expense of her activity today, I made sure Kate got to her glacier tour today. She lifted off shortly after 8:30AM and had 3-4 hours on the glacier. (Note: the Kiwis pronounce glacier with a soft "a".)
(picture to follow)
I got to rest for an hour or two before my kayak adventure. Everyone on the bus opted for the glacier tour today, except Yohan and I ... we went for the kayak exploration of Mapourika Lake which included an hour hike. We had a good view of the mountains on the near side of the glacier, but we mostly focused on the lake and the flora/fauna in and around it. For those who don't get out and kayak/hike much, it must have been cool ... but it was a bit tame.
(picture to follow)
They went to show us a young heron in a nest, but it had flown the coop. They went to show us eels, but none were found. I explained to them about the black fungus growing on some of the trees. Oh well, it was a nice 3.5km crossing and 1km hike, and they served us hot chocolate and told us some info. The best news is that the local species of kiwi were brought from the brink (150 birds) close to the maximum they figure the local environment can handle (800 birds). We didn't see any since they are nocturnal.
When we got back together, we walked into town and did some souvenir shopping. Then I went to the hot tub for a bit. Suddenly it was time for our included dinner: pork roast. We followed it up with a $10 ice cream sundae (desserts tend to be $10+ here).
The coolest part was that this was the start of our 80's party. We had stopped 2 days ago and hit the thrift shops for 80's clothing ... most of us participated, and (of course) Lantern participated in a big way: he arrived in an orange suit, and was presented with a leopard-skin bathing suit, which he eagerly switched to. There was lots of drinking, singing, and dancing. Kate and I even started the conga line.
Because we were out partying last night, and because of the expense of her activity today, I made sure Kate got to her glacier tour today. She lifted off shortly after 8:30AM and had 3-4 hours on the glacier. (Note: the Kiwis pronounce glacier with a soft "a".)
(picture to follow)
I got to rest for an hour or two before my kayak adventure. Everyone on the bus opted for the glacier tour today, except Yohan and I ... we went for the kayak exploration of Mapourika Lake which included an hour hike. We had a good view of the mountains on the near side of the glacier, but we mostly focused on the lake and the flora/fauna in and around it. For those who don't get out and kayak/hike much, it must have been cool ... but it was a bit tame.
(picture to follow)
They went to show us a young heron in a nest, but it had flown the coop. They went to show us eels, but none were found. I explained to them about the black fungus growing on some of the trees. Oh well, it was a nice 3.5km crossing and 1km hike, and they served us hot chocolate and told us some info. The best news is that the local species of kiwi were brought from the brink (150 birds) close to the maximum they figure the local environment can handle (800 birds). We didn't see any since they are nocturnal.
When we got back together, we walked into town and did some souvenir shopping. Then I went to the hot tub for a bit. Suddenly it was time for our included dinner: pork roast. We followed it up with a $10 ice cream sundae (desserts tend to be $10+ here).
The coolest part was that this was the start of our 80's party. We had stopped 2 days ago and hit the thrift shops for 80's clothing ... most of us participated, and (of course) Lantern participated in a big way: he arrived in an orange suit, and was presented with a leopard-skin bathing suit, which he eagerly switched to. There was lots of drinking, singing, and dancing. Kate and I even started the conga line.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Day 13 - Westport to Franz Josef
We left Westport at 8:30AM under light rain. We stopped for a viewpoint on the rugged west coast before a longer stop at Punakaiki, where the Pancake Rocks are. We viewed the rocks and some had pancakes in the local cafe. From there we headed to Greymouth.
In Greymouth, we had a plan: grab some food, find some clothes for the 80's party on Friday night, and pick up 6 new passengers for the bus. We succeeded at all three (although there are a few of our old passengers that have started returning to the bus 10-15 minutes past the appointed time).
We had one more stop at Hokitika before our final destination at Franz Josef. Hokitika is one of the best places to buy greenstone (i.e. jade), so we all did a souvenir shop there. We started up into the big mountains to get to Franz Josef. After a quick tour of the small town, and a quick briefing of the glacier walk (that 20 of our 22 passengers are doing), we checked into our accommodation: the Rainforest Retreat. This place looks great: big clean rooms, beautiful setting, free hot tub, free breakfast, and one included dinner (tomorrow night before the 80's party). Tonight, we went to the onsite Monsoon Restaurant and Bar for all-you can eat pizza ($18.50 and includes a drink, fries, and garlic bread). I couldn't quite keep up with the boys who ate 18 to my 16 slices (more than 2 whole pizzas) ... the bus record was, and still is 24.
We stayed and chatted at Monsoon until nearly 11PM, then noticed the hot tub had closed at 8PM.
So Yohan (new guy from France) and I are the only two not doing the glacier walk in the morning, so we don't have do wander over to the office until 10:15AM. The others will be on the glacier by then. This gave me time to blog on the room's (0.5Mbps!) Internet connection.
In Greymouth, we had a plan: grab some food, find some clothes for the 80's party on Friday night, and pick up 6 new passengers for the bus. We succeeded at all three (although there are a few of our old passengers that have started returning to the bus 10-15 minutes past the appointed time).
We had one more stop at Hokitika before our final destination at Franz Josef. Hokitika is one of the best places to buy greenstone (i.e. jade), so we all did a souvenir shop there. We started up into the big mountains to get to Franz Josef. After a quick tour of the small town, and a quick briefing of the glacier walk (that 20 of our 22 passengers are doing), we checked into our accommodation: the Rainforest Retreat. This place looks great: big clean rooms, beautiful setting, free hot tub, free breakfast, and one included dinner (tomorrow night before the 80's party). Tonight, we went to the onsite Monsoon Restaurant and Bar for all-you can eat pizza ($18.50 and includes a drink, fries, and garlic bread). I couldn't quite keep up with the boys who ate 18 to my 16 slices (more than 2 whole pizzas) ... the bus record was, and still is 24.
We stayed and chatted at Monsoon until nearly 11PM, then noticed the hot tub had closed at 8PM.
So Yohan (new guy from France) and I are the only two not doing the glacier walk in the morning, so we don't have do wander over to the office until 10:15AM. The others will be on the glacier by then. This gave me time to blog on the room's (0.5Mbps!) Internet connection.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Day 12 - Abel Tasman to Westport
Woke up to a sunny day. Left The Barn at 8:30am and drove toward Westport, but he sun quickly turned to rain.
We stopped for an early lunch in Murchison. Then we stopped for a view at Kilkenny Lookout. We also stopped to look at the seals at Cape Foulwind. Otherwise, we did a lot of driving. I took the opportunity to sleep for most of it.
In Westport, we pulled up to TripInn Hostel (a cool old converted house) around 2:30PM. We checked in and gathered for the 2-block walk to West Coast Brewery (a brewery that Prince Charles visited just one year ago). At the brewery, we sampled 6 beers and 1 cider ... had a brief tour of the facility ... then wrapped up with bread, chips, sausage, and onion.
Afterward, we walked 2 more blocks to Denniston Dog restaurant. They serve some of their dishes on heated stones and let you finish cooking them at your table. The meat (chicken or beef) came with salad and fries. Afterward, a few of us played ping pong.
Yes, in case you were counting, we all had 2 dinners tonight.
We wandered back to the TripInn and headed to bed fairly early.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Day 11 - Extra day at Abel Tasman
The last thing I said in my last post was "It was an uneventful evening". Well, the night had some excitement: the storm that gave us all-day rain whipped into a pretty powerful wind and rain storm. It woke both of us, not simply because of the wind, but because the wind was whipping the small trees against the side of our cabin ... the result of which sounded like an entire hockey team banging their hockey sticks against the outside walls.
This went on for hours, so we had our second night in a row of very broken sleep.
Soon after we woke, and for the rest of the day, we had brilliant sunshine. We had breakfast, dried out our things in the sun, then hopped on the bus for some local exploring. We stopped at a great lookout (Hawks Lookout), then at Kaiteriteri: a great beachside town. We had lunch and wandered the beach, while some went for a swim in the Tasman Sea.
We stopped for groceries on our way back. Once back, we had an hour or two of free time before going to dinner at The Park Cafe at 7PM. That was interesting, because we ordered right away, but half of us got food after 8:30, and the rest of us, not until almost 9:30. Apparently some of our orders got lost between the table and the kitchen. They only comped us a drink for our troubles.
As us late ones finished our meals, the Super-Duper moon came over the horizon. We walked home and chatted by the fireplace. Then the two of us went out to identify the Southern Cross constellation.
This went on for hours, so we had our second night in a row of very broken sleep.
Soon after we woke, and for the rest of the day, we had brilliant sunshine. We had breakfast, dried out our things in the sun, then hopped on the bus for some local exploring. We stopped at a great lookout (Hawks Lookout), then at Kaiteriteri: a great beachside town. We had lunch and wandered the beach, while some went for a swim in the Tasman Sea.
We stopped for groceries on our way back. Once back, we had an hour or two of free time before going to dinner at The Park Cafe at 7PM. That was interesting, because we ordered right away, but half of us got food after 8:30, and the rest of us, not until almost 9:30. Apparently some of our orders got lost between the table and the kitchen. They only comped us a drink for our troubles.
As us late ones finished our meals, the Super-Duper moon came over the horizon. We walked home and chatted by the fireplace. Then the two of us went out to identify the Southern Cross constellation.
Monday, November 14, 2016
Day 10 - Earthquake!
This post starts at a few minutes after midnight. We had crashed less than an hour later, so we were in pretty deep REM sleep when the earthquake started. I wasn't coherent enough to give you a detailed description, but it seemed looong and strooong. A minute or two of the strongest earthquake I have felt.
We chatted about it for a minute ... heard the confused voices outside, and dropped back off to sleep.
Then at around 4AM, we were awakened with "we have to evacuate". So we threw our jackets on and headed to the bus. It was controlled chaos at this point. What we heard was "get on a bus, any bus" ... so we did. We got on a Stray bus, but not our Stray bus (there was a hop-on/hop-off tour here too).
Of course, there was a traffic jam just getting out of the campsite, but the funny thing was that we only drove 200-300 meters and then stopped. The bus driver ("PacMan") said we could get off if we needed to pee. So Kate got off with nearly half the bus.
I waited there for a short eternity. I was trying to visualise what I couldn't see the night before: where was the ocean, where was the earthquake epicentre, where was high ground, and how would I exit a large bus when the tsunami swept it over. When Kate didn't come back for 15 minutes, I ventured out into the night to find her. Luckily, I found her at the first building I encountered: she was there chatting with 90% of our tour group.
Apparently, we had been told to stay in/near that building until we received the all-clear. A few wandered in/out/around, but most stayed there and either dozed or chatted. We were trying to get online, but I for one) didn't pay the $5 for wifi ... I had planned to buy it in the morning. I was more than happy to pay the $5 now, but I hadn't grabbed my wallet and I could only remember 8 of the 12 digits of my credit card :-(. I figured it was worth it to tap into the 400MB I bought from Bell before I left home, but I couldn't do that either. Talk about an IT nightmare!
Michael offered that I connect to his phone as a wireless hotspot, and I jumped at the chance to contact home. (We have since named him Ariel.) I was able to text Mom, Dad, Liss, Megan, and Sharon ... which put my mind at rest.
When things were looking a bit better, we decided to wander toward the beach and watch the sunrise.
Things seemed OK, so we went on with our day. At 10AM, the AquaTaxi picked us up at the front office and drove us to their office. We signed in, jumped in a boat, each put on a life vest, and got driven to the boat ramp where we were lowered into the water. We were shuttled to Split Apple Rock, and then to Anchorage where he dropped us off for our walk.
The walk was wet. Very wet. Here it is. When we got back, we found out a bit more about the extent of the earthquakes: all ferries, all rail, and some roads are closed. Our departure is delayed by a day, and we're planning to drive down the west side of South Island instead of the east side.
We had some time to shower and nap before gathering for dinner and drinks. Dinner was BBQ steak, sausage, and potato (with side salad) ... just like our first night. Small aftershocks were still happening every few minutes, but otherwise, it was an uneventful evening.
We chatted about it for a minute ... heard the confused voices outside, and dropped back off to sleep.
Then at around 4AM, we were awakened with "we have to evacuate". So we threw our jackets on and headed to the bus. It was controlled chaos at this point. What we heard was "get on a bus, any bus" ... so we did. We got on a Stray bus, but not our Stray bus (there was a hop-on/hop-off tour here too).
Of course, there was a traffic jam just getting out of the campsite, but the funny thing was that we only drove 200-300 meters and then stopped. The bus driver ("PacMan") said we could get off if we needed to pee. So Kate got off with nearly half the bus.
I waited there for a short eternity. I was trying to visualise what I couldn't see the night before: where was the ocean, where was the earthquake epicentre, where was high ground, and how would I exit a large bus when the tsunami swept it over. When Kate didn't come back for 15 minutes, I ventured out into the night to find her. Luckily, I found her at the first building I encountered: she was there chatting with 90% of our tour group.
Apparently, we had been told to stay in/near that building until we received the all-clear. A few wandered in/out/around, but most stayed there and either dozed or chatted. We were trying to get online, but I for one) didn't pay the $5 for wifi ... I had planned to buy it in the morning. I was more than happy to pay the $5 now, but I hadn't grabbed my wallet and I could only remember 8 of the 12 digits of my credit card :-(. I figured it was worth it to tap into the 400MB I bought from Bell before I left home, but I couldn't do that either. Talk about an IT nightmare!
Michael offered that I connect to his phone as a wireless hotspot, and I jumped at the chance to contact home. (We have since named him Ariel.) I was able to text Mom, Dad, Liss, Megan, and Sharon ... which put my mind at rest.
When things were looking a bit better, we decided to wander toward the beach and watch the sunrise.
Things seemed OK, so we went on with our day. At 10AM, the AquaTaxi picked us up at the front office and drove us to their office. We signed in, jumped in a boat, each put on a life vest, and got driven to the boat ramp where we were lowered into the water. We were shuttled to Split Apple Rock, and then to Anchorage where he dropped us off for our walk.
The walk was wet. Very wet. Here it is. When we got back, we found out a bit more about the extent of the earthquakes: all ferries, all rail, and some roads are closed. Our departure is delayed by a day, and we're planning to drive down the west side of South Island instead of the east side.
We had some time to shower and nap before gathering for dinner and drinks. Dinner was BBQ steak, sausage, and potato (with side salad) ... just like our first night. Small aftershocks were still happening every few minutes, but otherwise, it was an uneventful evening.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Day 9 - Wellington to Abel Tasman
We knew on Friday that the early Sunday morning ferry from Wellington to Picton was cancelled, so we enjoyed our quiet morning in Wellington by touring the museum near our hotel: Te Papa. They must have used some of the special effects magicians at Weta to produce the incredible displays in the museum, because they were amazing. Highly recommended and totally free!
From there, we gathered our stuff and took the short shuttle ride to the Bluebridge ferry. The ferry was similar to a BC Ferry, just a bit longer (3.5hrs) and a bit bigger (multiple observation decks). They played two movies in the "movie theatres": Zoolander 2 and Jungle Book. I say put movie theatres in quotes because they are in a glass room (lots of ambient light) with lots of loud people (someone behind me was talking on the phone!) and the only sound was from the 2-watt speakers built-into the 55-inch screens. Needless to say, this didn't capture our attention. Zoolander was pretty lame (especially since we couldn't really hear it) so we flaked out for 20 minutes or so.
When we came to, we wandered up on the top deck and had a great view as we transitioned from North Island to South Island. Same as BC Ferries, only with bluer water.
Once we arrived at Picton, we hopped onto our new bus (very much like our old bus), but with a few passenger changes. Thomas and Benedict (from Germany), Patrick and Wendy (from Hong Kong), and Tina (from Oregon) had left us, and Holly (from Toronto!) joined us.
We stopped for groceries (dinner and next day's lunch) and drove into the night. We arrived at The Barn in darkness. A few of us shared a drink, but we all headed to bed around 11PM or midnight (bus travel is surprisingly tiring). Good thing too ... for what was about to happen next.
From there, we gathered our stuff and took the short shuttle ride to the Bluebridge ferry. The ferry was similar to a BC Ferry, just a bit longer (3.5hrs) and a bit bigger (multiple observation decks). They played two movies in the "movie theatres": Zoolander 2 and Jungle Book. I say put movie theatres in quotes because they are in a glass room (lots of ambient light) with lots of loud people (someone behind me was talking on the phone!) and the only sound was from the 2-watt speakers built-into the 55-inch screens. Needless to say, this didn't capture our attention. Zoolander was pretty lame (especially since we couldn't really hear it) so we flaked out for 20 minutes or so.
When we came to, we wandered up on the top deck and had a great view as we transitioned from North Island to South Island. Same as BC Ferries, only with bluer water.
Once we arrived at Picton, we hopped onto our new bus (very much like our old bus), but with a few passenger changes. Thomas and Benedict (from Germany), Patrick and Wendy (from Hong Kong), and Tina (from Oregon) had left us, and Holly (from Toronto!) joined us.
We stopped for groceries (dinner and next day's lunch) and drove into the night. We arrived at The Barn in darkness. A few of us shared a drink, but we all headed to bed around 11PM or midnight (bus travel is surprisingly tiring). Good thing too ... for what was about to happen next.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Day 8 - Whakahoro to Wellington
We saw some stormy weather today, but it lightened up for our three stops on our way to Wellington. First stop was Taihape, the world's gumboot throwing capital. We stopped and threw some gumboots. Second stop was Bulls, where the cop-shop has a "Consta-Bull" sign, the day care signs were "Love-Abull" and "Non-Return-Abull", etc. Third stop was to "act like a kid" at the adventure park at Levin.
The wet and windy weather whipped up again as we approached Wellington. We got checked into our accommodation, Nomads Capital, before heading right back out to our afternoon tour, which was AWESOME. Another driver took over who knows lots about Weta ... he drove us to The Roxy Cinema and then to Weta Studios for a tour. Megan, you should look at these last three sites!
Once back from the tour, we walked along Cuba Street in the rain, and then headed right next door to Blend for dinner. We had to say "good-bye" to Tina, Thomas, and Benedict as they were headed back to Auckland early the next morning ... but first, we had a blowout of a party until about 1AM.
The wet and windy weather whipped up again as we approached Wellington. We got checked into our accommodation, Nomads Capital, before heading right back out to our afternoon tour, which was AWESOME. Another driver took over who knows lots about Weta ... he drove us to The Roxy Cinema and then to Weta Studios for a tour. Megan, you should look at these last three sites!
Once back from the tour, we walked along Cuba Street in the rain, and then headed right next door to Blend for dinner. We had to say "good-bye" to Tina, Thomas, and Benedict as they were headed back to Auckland early the next morning ... but first, we had a blowout of a party until about 1AM.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Day 7 - Whakahoro to Whakahoro
We stayed in the general vicinity, but we did a fair bit of driving. We drove from Blue Duck Station into town, then out to Mt. Ruepehu ski area, then to a walk (Taranaki Falls, picture below), and another one to Ohakune (the stream/waterfall that was used for the "Gollum fishing" scene).
We then checked into our accommodation: The Park.
We cleaned up and caught up on blogging before going to find the others. They were just finishing a round of mini-golf, so we all headed to dinner together while we counted their scores. Burger for Jeff, Beef Salad for Kate, and a shared Apple Crumble for dessert.
We then checked into our accommodation: The Park.
We cleaned up and caught up on blogging before going to find the others. They were just finishing a round of mini-golf, so we all headed to dinner together while we counted their scores. Burger for Jeff, Beef Salad for Kate, and a shared Apple Crumble for dessert.
Day 6 - Rotorua to Whakahoro
We made four stops between Rotorua and Blue Duck Station: First stop was the coolest and the hottest. We drove a few minutes off-road to Kerosene Creek which is a hot spring waterfall. All but a few of us suited up and hopped in for a warm dip. Second stop was a bubbling mud pit to watch the blop, blop, blop. Third stop was Harangi Falls: an amazing volume of water pouring out of Taupo Lake. Fourth stop was for diesel and groceries.
The road out to Blue Duck Station was a long and slow one, but well worth it. Their website is worth looking at, because they are doing some amazing work there. It is a back-to-basics farm with horses, cattle, and sheep, but it is also a tourist destination with accommodation, food, and tours, but it is also a conservation group improving the health of the entire area.
After a quick check-in, we walked to a waterfall with a guide. We paddled a short, but super-cool, stretch near the falls. Then walked to an abandoned trading shed with a cool history. Then we walked a bit further and got to see two Blue Ducks!! That gets two exclamation points because they are very rare to see, even at Blue Duck Station.
We got a wild ride back in a quad, tossed a few axes at the target, and sat down to a dinner of Argentinian-style meatballs.
That's when we got the sad news that the Tongariro crossing (scheduled for the next day) was cancelled due to the chance of 100 kmh winds. I was very disappointed because it was going to be a highlight of the trip for me. (I'll tell you tomorrow what we ended up doing.)
Even the 1 km walk in the dark back from dinner to our accommodation was super-cool ... we saw hundreds of glow-worms (we didn't actually know what they were until we got to our rooms and discussed it with the others).
The road out to Blue Duck Station was a long and slow one, but well worth it. Their website is worth looking at, because they are doing some amazing work there. It is a back-to-basics farm with horses, cattle, and sheep, but it is also a tourist destination with accommodation, food, and tours, but it is also a conservation group improving the health of the entire area.
After a quick check-in, we walked to a waterfall with a guide. We paddled a short, but super-cool, stretch near the falls. Then walked to an abandoned trading shed with a cool history. Then we walked a bit further and got to see two Blue Ducks!! That gets two exclamation points because they are very rare to see, even at Blue Duck Station.
We got a wild ride back in a quad, tossed a few axes at the target, and sat down to a dinner of Argentinian-style meatballs.
That's when we got the sad news that the Tongariro crossing (scheduled for the next day) was cancelled due to the chance of 100 kmh winds. I was very disappointed because it was going to be a highlight of the trip for me. (I'll tell you tomorrow what we ended up doing.)
Even the 1 km walk in the dark back from dinner to our accommodation was super-cool ... we saw hundreds of glow-worms (we didn't actually know what they were until we got to our rooms and discussed it with the others).
Day 5 - Cathedral Cove to Rotorua
Bit of a downer on this day. We were in a bit of a rush to get to Hobbiton before a cruiseship full of tourists got there. We stopped to fuel up, but our driver, Moose, mistakenly put petrol in our diesel bus. He caught it before he started the engine, so he got it towed, drained, and fuelled within an hour (NZ$380) and we were off again.
I guess we arrived after the large group, because the lines weren't too bad. Hobbiton was great! We got lots of pictures and video and pretended to be Hobbits drinking cider at the Green Dragon.
The delay also meant we got into Ragnitoto a bit later than planned. Kate and I crashed at the hotel (Four Canoes) for about 40 minutes, but then we walked 5 km around the town: down the shopping street (Fenton), to some steaming pools, and past some rugby. We got back to the hotel in time for our 7PM bus to the Tamaki Maori Village.
Second downer of the day: we read that Trump was voted president. Really?!
Back to the Tenaki show. It was great! Similar to the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu, but great fun, great value, and great food. We got in after 10PM, so we all crashed with full bellies.
I guess we arrived after the large group, because the lines weren't too bad. Hobbiton was great! We got lots of pictures and video and pretended to be Hobbits drinking cider at the Green Dragon.
The delay also meant we got into Ragnitoto a bit later than planned. Kate and I crashed at the hotel (Four Canoes) for about 40 minutes, but then we walked 5 km around the town: down the shopping street (Fenton), to some steaming pools, and past some rugby. We got back to the hotel in time for our 7PM bus to the Tamaki Maori Village.
Second downer of the day: we read that Trump was voted president. Really?!
Back to the Tenaki show. It was great! Similar to the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu, but great fun, great value, and great food. We got in after 10PM, so we all crashed with full bellies.
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Time out
We're having lots of fun, but a. that leaves no time for blogging, and b. we're headed into the bush where there is no cellular or wifi, so we'll be out of touch for a couple more days. We will check in after our Tongariro Crossing!
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Day 4 - Auckland to Cathedral Cove
Moose picked us up from in front of the Stray Travel office at 7:45 on Tuesday morning. Our numbers have increased from 11 to 20 ... adding even more nurses and Germans.
We stopped briefly for coffee in the outskirts of Auckland, then again in Thames for groceries. Moose bought groceries for our dinner and breakfast, while the rest of us grabbed snacks. There was enough time to wander the town before continuing on our way. One more brief stop at a lookout, then right into Hahei.
The TV character Moose most reminds me of is Otto, the schoolbus driver in the Simpsons. He even has the hair!
Kate and I decided to participate in the kayak to Cathedral Cove, and so did Cherry. Shortly into it, we decided it was well worth the $95 each as we paddled through the blue waters and steep-sided coastline. The wind came up a few times, once fierce enough for Kate to lose her hat. We got a glimpse of manta rays, but I haven't checked my GoPro footage to see if I caught them on film yet.
Cathedral Cove was everything we thought it would be: spectacular. After some hot chocolate/coffee and cookies on the destination beach, we paddled back to the main beach.
Wandering back from the beach, we picked up some drinks at the corner store. On our way into the campground, we passed three of our group headed to Hot Beach. On the way in, we were told that
the low tide wasn't until 8PM (after dark), so hot beach was out of the question. It turns out, those three shared a cab and had a great time enjoying hot beach, although they missed dinner at the campsite.
We got back to the camp just as the meat went on the grill. We had great steaks, sausage, potato salad, and greens. With a couple drinks plus some bubbly, we chatted until after 10PM ... late since we'll be on the road at 7:30AM tomorrow.
Although this is voting day in the USA, we're 18 hours ahead, so we probably won't hear any results until tomorrow.
We stopped briefly for coffee in the outskirts of Auckland, then again in Thames for groceries. Moose bought groceries for our dinner and breakfast, while the rest of us grabbed snacks. There was enough time to wander the town before continuing on our way. One more brief stop at a lookout, then right into Hahei.
The TV character Moose most reminds me of is Otto, the schoolbus driver in the Simpsons. He even has the hair!
Kate and I decided to participate in the kayak to Cathedral Cove, and so did Cherry. Shortly into it, we decided it was well worth the $95 each as we paddled through the blue waters and steep-sided coastline. The wind came up a few times, once fierce enough for Kate to lose her hat. We got a glimpse of manta rays, but I haven't checked my GoPro footage to see if I caught them on film yet.
Cathedral Cove was everything we thought it would be: spectacular. After some hot chocolate/coffee and cookies on the destination beach, we paddled back to the main beach.
Wandering back from the beach, we picked up some drinks at the corner store. On our way into the campground, we passed three of our group headed to Hot Beach. On the way in, we were told that
the low tide wasn't until 8PM (after dark), so hot beach was out of the question. It turns out, those three shared a cab and had a great time enjoying hot beach, although they missed dinner at the campsite.
We got back to the camp just as the meat went on the grill. We had great steaks, sausage, potato salad, and greens. With a couple drinks plus some bubbly, we chatted until after 10PM ... late since we'll be on the road at 7:30AM tomorrow.
Although this is voting day in the USA, we're 18 hours ahead, so we probably won't hear any results until tomorrow.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Day 3 - Opononi to Auckland
We had to be fed, dressed, and packed by 8:30 to start our day. We drove the few minutes into town, and hopped onto a waiting boat, wearing little more than our bathing suits. They quickly shuttled us across to the sand dunes on the other side of the harbour.
None of us had sand surfed before, and there was noone to lead us. The guys on the boat simply placed four flags on the dunes, two at each side of the designated area, gave us brief guidelines, then dropped us and watched from just off-shore.
It was a lot of fun. For an hour, we scrambled up the sand hill, then slid down on what were basically slick-bottomed paddleboards. If you did it right, you could end your slide with a skim across the water (the warm Tasmanian Sea). Even our seniors, Patrick and Wendy, went a couple of times each.
I figured it would involve some danger of scraped knees, faces, etc. ... but it was quite safe. The sun cooperated even though it had be rainstorming all night right up until an hour before our departure.
We only had a few minutes by the bus to change back into drier and less-sandy clothes before the 3-hour drive to Auckland. But we had three stops along the way. The first was at Tane Mahuta: the site of the largest known living Kauri tree.
That gave us just enough time for the swim and a brief lunch before we had to escape the downpour. The only other stop before Auckland was for a quick pee break.
Back in Auckland, we dropped off Patrick and Wendy ... they were the only 2 of the original 13 who weren't staying for (at least) most of the journey. We were all sad to see them go, as they kept things very interesting.
The rest of us were dropped near Stray Travel Headquarters where we walked a block to the Nomad accommodation. This is definitely the low point in accommodation, but it's good enough. We gave ourselves an hour or so to check in, then we all gathered and went to Velvet Burger for dinner.
None of us had sand surfed before, and there was noone to lead us. The guys on the boat simply placed four flags on the dunes, two at each side of the designated area, gave us brief guidelines, then dropped us and watched from just off-shore.
It was a lot of fun. For an hour, we scrambled up the sand hill, then slid down on what were basically slick-bottomed paddleboards. If you did it right, you could end your slide with a skim across the water (the warm Tasmanian Sea). Even our seniors, Patrick and Wendy, went a couple of times each.
I figured it would involve some danger of scraped knees, faces, etc. ... but it was quite safe. The sun cooperated even though it had be rainstorming all night right up until an hour before our departure.
We only had a few minutes by the bus to change back into drier and less-sandy clothes before the 3-hour drive to Auckland. But we had three stops along the way. The first was at Tane Mahuta: the site of the largest known living Kauri tree.
The second was at Kai Iwi lakes for a swim and lunch. Well, I guess I was the only one that went for a swim. It was great to wash off the salt-water residue with the fresh water of the lake. Visibility in the lake wasn't as good as the blue waters would make you think. And you wouldn't think from the picture below that we were in for a rainstorm within 30 minutes either.
That gave us just enough time for the swim and a brief lunch before we had to escape the downpour. The only other stop before Auckland was for a quick pee break.
Back in Auckland, we dropped off Patrick and Wendy ... they were the only 2 of the original 13 who weren't staying for (at least) most of the journey. We were all sad to see them go, as they kept things very interesting.
The rest of us were dropped near Stray Travel Headquarters where we walked a block to the Nomad accommodation. This is definitely the low point in accommodation, but it's good enough. We gave ourselves an hour or so to check in, then we all gathered and went to Velvet Burger for dinner.
Day 2 - Paihia to Opononi
We met in the common kitchen area at 7:30 this morning and had breakfast from the groceries that Muesli had bought. We also grabbed enough breakfast for the next day and stashed it in our packs.
On our way to the van (to load our bags in), I noticed a small, impromptu, car show. One car in particular caught my eye:
From there, we headed across the street and got on the Dolphin Seeker ... a boat/tour designed to show the Bay of Islands in comfort. Kate and I hopped up top to get a great view of these photogenic islands.
I took lots of video on this tour ... especially when we encountered the Bottlenose dolphins, when we travelled through the Hole in the Wall, and when we explored Urapukapuka Island. All were unforgettable. Of course, we have seen Bottlenose dolphins in BC waters, but it was still cool (a very common expression here, BTW). It amazed me that they took that huge boat through that small hole in the rock. And then, we I thought it would be a simple "quick stop to stretch our legs", they dropped us on a spectacular island for over 45 minutes.
Most of us hiked to 2 or 3 small peaks in that time, but some stayed on the beach. Everywhere you looked, it was a tropical paradise. I even got a glimpse of a Tui bird, although I had no hope of photographing it.
Back on the boat, then back to Paihia for lunch. We all stood in line to get some spectacular lamb kabobs from the local shop. We drove up the hill from Paihia and found a spot to eat our kabobs.
The drive from Paihia was uneventful, so most of us took the opportunity to nap. As we drove into Opononi, we heard the true story of Opo ... the dolphin named after the town. Then, on a pullout overlooking the town, we met up with a representative from our next accommodation who greeted us with prayer, song, and story. At that point, two of our group--Kate and Franchesca--decided to do the optional night walk to see the Kauri trees.
We checked into our new accommodation and Kate went off to dinner while Jeff jumped in the pool. The night walkers left the hotel at 6PM and the others gathered for dinner at 7PM. Dinner was a fabulous fish and chips with a side salad, followed by a chocolate cake with ice cream and whipped cream.
Jeff chatted with Liz and Cherry until Kate returned from the night walk around 9:30PM.
On our way to the van (to load our bags in), I noticed a small, impromptu, car show. One car in particular caught my eye:
From there, we headed across the street and got on the Dolphin Seeker ... a boat/tour designed to show the Bay of Islands in comfort. Kate and I hopped up top to get a great view of these photogenic islands.
I took lots of video on this tour ... especially when we encountered the Bottlenose dolphins, when we travelled through the Hole in the Wall, and when we explored Urapukapuka Island. All were unforgettable. Of course, we have seen Bottlenose dolphins in BC waters, but it was still cool (a very common expression here, BTW). It amazed me that they took that huge boat through that small hole in the rock. And then, we I thought it would be a simple "quick stop to stretch our legs", they dropped us on a spectacular island for over 45 minutes.
Most of us hiked to 2 or 3 small peaks in that time, but some stayed on the beach. Everywhere you looked, it was a tropical paradise. I even got a glimpse of a Tui bird, although I had no hope of photographing it.
Back on the boat, then back to Paihia for lunch. We all stood in line to get some spectacular lamb kabobs from the local shop. We drove up the hill from Paihia and found a spot to eat our kabobs.
The drive from Paihia was uneventful, so most of us took the opportunity to nap. As we drove into Opononi, we heard the true story of Opo ... the dolphin named after the town. Then, on a pullout overlooking the town, we met up with a representative from our next accommodation who greeted us with prayer, song, and story. At that point, two of our group--Kate and Franchesca--decided to do the optional night walk to see the Kauri trees.
We checked into our new accommodation and Kate went off to dinner while Jeff jumped in the pool. The night walkers left the hotel at 6PM and the others gathered for dinner at 7PM. Dinner was a fabulous fish and chips with a side salad, followed by a chocolate cake with ice cream and whipped cream.
Jeff chatted with Liz and Cherry until Kate returned from the night walk around 9:30PM.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Day 1 - Part 2
Day 1 was so packed, I'll split it in two.
The goal in Paihia was to meet up with my second cousin, Marni Friesen. I hadn't connected in-person with Marni since we were kids in Sidney. Marni and her husband Mike, have lived in or near Paihia for a few years. We emailed her weeks before and decided upon an afternoon: this afternoon. We emailed an hour before and decided upon a general location: Russell. Once we arrived in Russell, we found wifi again and emailed the name of the cafe at which we were having lunch: Waterfront Cafe. We stood outside the cafe and watched as two people went in looking for someone ... and we connected!
We chatted as we walked up Flagstaff Hill. That happened to be a great choice because from the top they could point out roughly where they were house-sitting, plus a few other places we could see. We walked back to the waterfront and paddled out to their sailboat. What a great connection! We sipped wine and munched on appies while we sat on their boat. They paddled us back to shore in time for our 5PM sailing back to Paihia, then waved as our ferry passed them tacking hard on their way home!
From there, we went back to the room and changed for dinner. We met at 6;30 at the Base Backpackers for BBQ steak and potatoes. We chatted before, during, and after dinner ... until most of us left around 10PM.
The goal in Paihia was to meet up with my second cousin, Marni Friesen. I hadn't connected in-person with Marni since we were kids in Sidney. Marni and her husband Mike, have lived in or near Paihia for a few years. We emailed her weeks before and decided upon an afternoon: this afternoon. We emailed an hour before and decided upon a general location: Russell. Once we arrived in Russell, we found wifi again and emailed the name of the cafe at which we were having lunch: Waterfront Cafe. We stood outside the cafe and watched as two people went in looking for someone ... and we connected!
We chatted as we walked up Flagstaff Hill. That happened to be a great choice because from the top they could point out roughly where they were house-sitting, plus a few other places we could see. We walked back to the waterfront and paddled out to their sailboat. What a great connection! We sipped wine and munched on appies while we sat on their boat. They paddled us back to shore in time for our 5PM sailing back to Paihia, then waved as our ferry passed them tacking hard on their way home!
From there, we went back to the room and changed for dinner. We met at 6;30 at the Base Backpackers for BBQ steak and potatoes. We chatted before, during, and after dinner ... until most of us left around 10PM.
Day 1
Wow. Day 1 was great. Kate and I agree that it felt like more than one day.
How I avoid jetlag is to hang onto that first day as long as I can, crash, then awake refreshed ... fully into the new time zone. That was a bit challenging in Auckland as it is a noisy city. Party-ers called out in the streets until past 4AM. Car alarms and sirens were going pretty consistently until then as well. But between 6PM and 6AM, we managed to get 8-10 hours of sleep.
We got up just in time to grab a bite of breakfast, scoop our stuff, check out, and fast-walk the 8 blocks to the Stray Travel office for 6:50AM. There were two guys waiting outside the door already ... then about six others wandered in over the next 20 minutes. Then two Stray Travel busses pulled up.
Most of us piled into the one driven by "Muesli". (He talked a lot on our drive up to Paihia, but so far we haven't heard the story about his name.) He told us we would be making about five stops on our way out of Auckland in order to pick up the rest of our group, but what none of us knew was that we would hit every red light in Auckland along the way.
We eventually had everyone on-board and left the red lights behind. We passed over the Auckland Harbour Bridge and out of the city. Muesli talked up a storm, telling us what our next 3 days would look like, some history of New Zealand, stories of local celebrities, and stories of himself.
Our first stop outside of Auckland was Parry Kauri Park with the amazing Kauri trees.
Our second stop was to see (and not necessarily use) an amazing bathroom designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Our third stop was a coffee shop in Whangeri. Our final stop of the day was at Paihia.
I have run out of time for blogging at the moment, as we are gathering for breakfast shortly. I will be back to put in some details after our tour of the Bay of Islands today.
How I avoid jetlag is to hang onto that first day as long as I can, crash, then awake refreshed ... fully into the new time zone. That was a bit challenging in Auckland as it is a noisy city. Party-ers called out in the streets until past 4AM. Car alarms and sirens were going pretty consistently until then as well. But between 6PM and 6AM, we managed to get 8-10 hours of sleep.
We got up just in time to grab a bite of breakfast, scoop our stuff, check out, and fast-walk the 8 blocks to the Stray Travel office for 6:50AM. There were two guys waiting outside the door already ... then about six others wandered in over the next 20 minutes. Then two Stray Travel busses pulled up.
Most of us piled into the one driven by "Muesli". (He talked a lot on our drive up to Paihia, but so far we haven't heard the story about his name.) He told us we would be making about five stops on our way out of Auckland in order to pick up the rest of our group, but what none of us knew was that we would hit every red light in Auckland along the way.
We eventually had everyone on-board and left the red lights behind. We passed over the Auckland Harbour Bridge and out of the city. Muesli talked up a storm, telling us what our next 3 days would look like, some history of New Zealand, stories of local celebrities, and stories of himself.
Our first stop outside of Auckland was Parry Kauri Park with the amazing Kauri trees.
Our second stop was to see (and not necessarily use) an amazing bathroom designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
I have run out of time for blogging at the moment, as we are gathering for breakfast shortly. I will be back to put in some details after our tour of the Bay of Islands today.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
We gave 03Nov2016 a miss
I say "we gave 03Nov2016 a miss" because we crossed the International Date Line early that day, leaving SFO pretty close to 10:45PM Wednesday and landing in Auckland a bit early 7:45AM Friday 04Nov2016. It was a fairly rough ride, turbulence-wize ... not enough to shake you out of your seat, but it often felt like sitting on an unbalanced washing machine.
I was impressed with United Airlines ... fairly nice staff, service, and amenities. We actually ate 3 times during our 13-hour jump from SFO to AKL: dinner, snack, and breakfast. We flew on a fairly new Boeing 777. We watched a few movies each, and slept/napped enough to give us a decent day's energy once we arrived.
Customs and immigration in Auckland were inefficient like SFO. It took us over 90 minutes to get through. They are very concerned about contamination of their environment here and they even took the time to wash the soles of Kate's boots.
Our prepaid/prebooked ride was waiting for us and zipped us to our hotel in just over 30 minutes. Our driver was from Botswana, having lived in New Zealand for 20 years now.
The hotel is decent value. It is very central. We got a suite on the top floor, and it has lots of room. We left our bags here 10-2, then checked in proper at 2PM. During those 4 hours, we had lunch at Empire Tavern, wandered the CBD waterfront, took the 12-minute ferry to Devonport, hiked up to Mt. Victoria (picture below was toward Auckland from Mt. Victoria), stopped at the ferry for a tea/hot chocolate at Devon on the Wharf, boated back, and wandered past the Stray Travel office on our way back to the hotel.
I got some good GoPro video of our walks today. I hope to post it on YouTube before we leave NZ, but there's a lot more coming.
Back at the hotel, we sorted out our stuff ... finding all the stuff we though we forgot/lost ... and Kate did some grocery shopping while I blogged. It'll be an early night to make up for time differences and broken sleep on the flight, and to make it easier to get up before 6AM to join our tour.
I'm sorry the tracks aren't really working so far on greenalp.com ... batteries weren't really charged, etc. So here is a link to the tracks I collected using the GPSmap 62S. I turned it on during our drive from the airport, and kept it on until we got to the hotel this afternoon.
I was impressed with United Airlines ... fairly nice staff, service, and amenities. We actually ate 3 times during our 13-hour jump from SFO to AKL: dinner, snack, and breakfast. We flew on a fairly new Boeing 777. We watched a few movies each, and slept/napped enough to give us a decent day's energy once we arrived.
Customs and immigration in Auckland were inefficient like SFO. It took us over 90 minutes to get through. They are very concerned about contamination of their environment here and they even took the time to wash the soles of Kate's boots.
Our prepaid/prebooked ride was waiting for us and zipped us to our hotel in just over 30 minutes. Our driver was from Botswana, having lived in New Zealand for 20 years now.
The hotel is decent value. It is very central. We got a suite on the top floor, and it has lots of room. We left our bags here 10-2, then checked in proper at 2PM. During those 4 hours, we had lunch at Empire Tavern, wandered the CBD waterfront, took the 12-minute ferry to Devonport, hiked up to Mt. Victoria (picture below was toward Auckland from Mt. Victoria), stopped at the ferry for a tea/hot chocolate at Devon on the Wharf, boated back, and wandered past the Stray Travel office on our way back to the hotel.
I got some good GoPro video of our walks today. I hope to post it on YouTube before we leave NZ, but there's a lot more coming.
Back at the hotel, we sorted out our stuff ... finding all the stuff we though we forgot/lost ... and Kate did some grocery shopping while I blogged. It'll be an early night to make up for time differences and broken sleep on the flight, and to make it easier to get up before 6AM to join our tour.
I'm sorry the tracks aren't really working so far on greenalp.com ... batteries weren't really charged, etc. So here is a link to the tracks I collected using the GPSmap 62S. I turned it on during our drive from the airport, and kept it on until we got to the hotel this afternoon.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Enroute
We got to SFO with only minor adventures. Customs, Immigration, and Airport security are just as inefficient as ever. Just getting through those 3 took us over 90 minutes in SFO. Kate lost her toiletry liquids ... likely at YYJ's security check. We will replace them once we get to AKL. We grabbed dinner from a Napa Farms kiosk in the airport ... US$31 for a wrap, a salad, a cookie, and a Coke! Now we relax for 4 hours until our next flight. Here's a pic I took from the SFO window.
Thank you Mom and Dad for the ride to the airport!
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Our itinerary and how to watch our tracks
We are Kate and Jeff. Welcome to our blog that will chronicle our first trip to New Zealand.
First, our itinerary (all dates are Nov2016):
02 Wed Victoria > San Francisco > Auckland
04 Fri Arrive Auckland @ 7:55AM local time, all day/overnight in Auckland
05 Sat Start our Stray Travel tour @ 7:00AM (detailed description here)
Bus from Auckland to Paihia, with stops in Parry Kauri and Waipu Cove
06 Sun Boat trip @ Bay of Islands, then bus to Opononi
07 Mon Ferry @ Hokianga, sand-boarding, visit Waipoua + Kai Iwa, overnight in Auckland
08 Tue Walk @ Cathedral Grove, Hot Water Beach, overnight @ Hahei
09 Wed Bus to Rotorua where we can visit Hobbiton, then get Mauri meal + song/dance
10 Thu Bus to Whakahoro where we get a 4WD wilderness farm adventure
11 Fri Tongariro alpine crossing (Mount Doom!) hike
12 Sat Bus to Wellington, where we get a tour of the studio + lots of free time
13 Sun Ferry to Picton, winery tour, then bus to Abel Tasman
14 Mon Full day at Abel Tasman for beach hiking, beach meals, and beach accommodation
15 Tue Bus to Hanmer Springs to visit thermal pools in an alpine setting
16 Wed Bus to Christchurch, where we walk to a seal colony + tour the town
17 Thu Bus to Franz Josef, where we tour a Jade factory
18 Fri Full day at Franz Josef for hikes, and maybe a view of the glacier
19 Sat Bus to Makorora, via walk @ Matheson Lake and a jet boat tour
20 Sun Bus to Doubtful Sound where we take an overnight cruise
21 Mon Bus to Queenstown where we have a special night out
22 Tue Full day in Queenstown where we may hike or bike around
23 Wed Another full day in Queenstown where we may explore the Skyline lift + luge
24 Thu Bus to Otago where we mountain bike the Otago Rail Trail
25 Fri Bus to Christchurch where we get a guided city tour
26 Sat Flight to Wellington where we get more time to tour that city
27 Sun Express bus ride back to Auckland
28 Mon Day hiking with Mat in Waitakere Ranges, then dinner with him + Jillian
29 Tue Shopping/touring in Auckland, then sunset kayak to/from Rangitoto
30 Wed Auckland > San Francisco > Victoria
You should be able to track us using this link.
I think that's about it ... until we start this adventure and start posting our experiences.
First, our itinerary (all dates are Nov2016):
02 Wed Victoria > San Francisco > Auckland
04 Fri Arrive Auckland @ 7:55AM local time, all day/overnight in Auckland
05 Sat Start our Stray Travel tour @ 7:00AM (detailed description here)
Bus from Auckland to Paihia, with stops in Parry Kauri and Waipu Cove
06 Sun Boat trip @ Bay of Islands, then bus to Opononi
07 Mon Ferry @ Hokianga, sand-boarding, visit Waipoua + Kai Iwa, overnight in Auckland
08 Tue Walk @ Cathedral Grove, Hot Water Beach, overnight @ Hahei
09 Wed Bus to Rotorua where we can visit Hobbiton, then get Mauri meal + song/dance
10 Thu Bus to Whakahoro where we get a 4WD wilderness farm adventure
11 Fri Tongariro alpine crossing (Mount Doom!) hike
12 Sat Bus to Wellington, where we get a tour of the studio + lots of free time
13 Sun Ferry to Picton, winery tour, then bus to Abel Tasman
14 Mon Full day at Abel Tasman for beach hiking, beach meals, and beach accommodation
15 Tue Bus to Hanmer Springs to visit thermal pools in an alpine setting
16 Wed Bus to Christchurch, where we walk to a seal colony + tour the town
17 Thu Bus to Franz Josef, where we tour a Jade factory
18 Fri Full day at Franz Josef for hikes, and maybe a view of the glacier
19 Sat Bus to Makorora, via walk @ Matheson Lake and a jet boat tour
20 Sun Bus to Doubtful Sound where we take an overnight cruise
21 Mon Bus to Queenstown where we have a special night out
22 Tue Full day in Queenstown where we may hike or bike around
23 Wed Another full day in Queenstown where we may explore the Skyline lift + luge
24 Thu Bus to Otago where we mountain bike the Otago Rail Trail
25 Fri Bus to Christchurch where we get a guided city tour
26 Sat Flight to Wellington where we get more time to tour that city
27 Sun Express bus ride back to Auckland
28 Mon Day hiking with Mat in Waitakere Ranges, then dinner with him + Jillian
29 Tue Shopping/touring in Auckland, then sunset kayak to/from Rangitoto
30 Wed Auckland > San Francisco > Victoria
You should be able to track us using this link.
I think that's about it ... until we start this adventure and start posting our experiences.
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