Globe Trekking with KB2: December 2009

Wednesday, December 23. Today was a “do-nothing” day and it was wonderful. We slept in late, had a big breakfast, did laundry, packed, cleaned-up the apartment a bit, tried to do a few things on the internet while having a delicious milkshake and ice coffee at a little internet cafe, read a bunch of material to try and figure out a route for the next few days and generally caught up. It had been awhile since we had had a “do-nothing” day, and it was exactly what Keith and I needed. We went for dip in the jacuzzi, had some dinner and called it a night.

Thursday, December 24. Today was travel day – destination Wellington. Keith got up bright and early to try and catch sunrise over Lake Taupo. I slept in for another hour or so and then we were headed off for our four hour drive to Wellington. We hadn't really spent any time in Wellington the first time around, so we wanted to get to the city in time to see a few of the sights. The drive was pretty uneventful, but we did get fabulous views of Mount Ruapehu. We hit Wellington around noon, checked into our apartment and set off for Te Papa – the Museum of New Zealand. The Museum was quite good. The had an exhibit on Pompeii which included relics from the town, castings of those who perished and a 3-D movie showing hour by hour the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It was a fabulous exhibit and it was amazing to see how advanced a society they were even 2,000 years ago. They had underground plumbing and over 300 bars, restaurants and inns. We learned (and saw) the treaty between the Maori people and the British Queen and saw a giant squid. Seeing the giant squid was cool for both Keith and I as we had watched a documentary on Discovery on it a few months ago. They had many interactive games you could play and even an earthquake simulator. Overall it was a great museum to spend a few hours. After having a disgusting lunch at McDonalds, nicknamed the “American Embassy” by some Kiwis (every time we go, we swear we won't go again), we were off on a cable car ride. The short ride brought us up a steep hill where there great views of Wellington. We wandered back down to the city through Wellington's Botanical Gardens (Keith's favorite;-). The gardens were pretty, complete with a rose garden, a duck pond and an old cemetery and we actually had a nice time just wandering around. We walked back into town, hit the grocery store to pick up a few provisions and headed back to our apartment. We made some dinner and called it a night. As an aside, Christmas in NZ is not nearly as commercialized as it is the United States and walking around it was strange thinking that today was the day before Christmas.

Friday, December 25. Merry Christmas and happy birthday Daddy! Today was once again travel day for Keith and I. After getting an early start, we were back on the huge ferry to Picton, on the South Island. The ferry was packed with people and ran a bit late. The trip once again was very scenic, but quite cold. We arrived in Picton, after a bit of hassle picked up the rental car and hit the road – destination, Nelson. The weather cleared up and it turned into a beautiful day. The ride to Nelson was gorgeous as we followed the north coast of the South Island. We ran along Queen Charlotte Sound where the water was incredibly green and was surrounded by even greener hills. We stopped many times to snap some photos and hit the scenic outlooks. We arrived in Nelson by mid-afternoon. After checking into our apartment, we had some lunch and decided to wander around a bit. Downtown, as expected, was very quiet - though it looked like a charming place. We went for a 10 minute or so drive and hit the beach. It was a very nice beach with lots of people, dogs and kite surfers. We strolled along the beach, collecting shells and enjoying the afternoon. We headed back, sat by the pool for bit, had some dinner and called it a night. It was a pretty uneventful day for us. We were sad to be away from our families, but it was a wonderful Christmas nonetheless.

Saturday, December 26. Happy Boxing Day. After rising late, we hit the town of Nelson for their weekly Saturday market. It was a cute market with lots of fresh produce, jewelry, crafts, etc. The market, and all of downtown, was very crowded with all of the day after Christmas sales. After some lunch, we wandered around some Japanese gardens which weren't very good. We hit the grocery store to grab some provisions, ordered some pizza for dinner and called it a night. It was a lazy day all around, but the weather was pretty overcast so it was a good day to lay low.

Sunday, December 27. Today was an early start as we were off to go paddle the Abel Tasman National Park. The Abel Tasman National Park is the smallest of all of the national parks in NZ, but it has over 100km of coastline and it's beautiful. We had signed up to do a kayak/beaches/hike tour. It took us a little over an hour to get to Kaiteriteri where we would be meeting our tour. Kaiteriteri is a cute little beach town and acts as a gateway to the Abel Tasman. The morning was to be spent kayaking. We met our guide Joel, and three other couples. We hit the beach, had a brief lesson on kayaking and were off. Keith and I were in a double kayak, which both made us a bit nervous. The last time Keith and I had been in a double kayak, we had been in Puerto Rico, in the dark, in a mangrove, with about 50 other kayaks and the trip did not go well. I think we were ready to strangle each other by the time the trip was over, so needless to say we were a bit hesitant to be stuck in a kayak once again together. Fortunately this time, things went much better. We paddled along the coast for a couple of hours and went to go see Split Apple Rock – a large granite rock that has been split in half over time along its natural fault line and is approximately 135 million years old. We got off on a nice beach where you could wander through a number of caves. Apparently the granite rocks break down over time to form the golden quartz sand beaches in the Park. We then headed back to Kaiteriteri, had some lunch and then hopped on a catamaran for a 40 minute ride to Anchorage. Riding along coast there were a number of inlets with beautiful beaches – many deserted and many of which were only accessible by foot or boat (with the preferred method of many being via kayak). We arrived in Anchorage to a long beautiful beach where there was just a handful of people. Keith and I relaxed and put our faces in the sun for an hour. The weather had been on and off all day so we grabbed an hour while we could. Next up Keith and I set out on an 1 ½ hike. The hike brought up to area where there were beautiful scenic look outs and down to another golden beach called Te Pukatea Bay. After a few hours, the catamaran picked us back up and we had another 40 minute ride back to Kaiteriteri. We bid farewell to Tracy and Rorrey, a nice couple that we had met while kayaking from Arizona and whom we hope to meet up with in Queenstown for New Year's and then hit the road to Motueka – a short 15 minute drive away. We checked into our motel in Motueka, went to the grocery store for a few provisions, made some yummy tacos for dinner and then called it an early night (I think I was asleep even before it was dark out).

Monday, December 28. Today was driving day – destination Greymouth. After breakfast and checking out, we hit the road for our 4 hour drive. We stopped at a scenic lookout where we snapped a few photos and then we were on the road again. Next stop was Paparoa National Park and the Pancake Rocks. Apparently through a weathering and layering process called stylobedding, the limstone rocks have turned into rocks that look like stacks of thin pancakes. The Pancake Rocks ran along the coast and it was beautiful walk. About half of our drive took us along the west coast of the South Island. There were huge waves, beaches and rock formations with windy curvy roads following them all. According to Lonely Planet, it is one of the most scenic drives you can do. The drive reminded me a bit of the Great Ocean Road in Australia or the Pacific Coast Highway in California – quite scenic. We finally hit the town of Greymouth by late afternoon. There really wasn't much to see or do in Greymouth though I did go to a store called The Warehouse and purchase yet another watch (I think I've lost track of many I've gone through at this point in time). My watch that I had bought in Ubud, Bali had finally died and I had managed to shatter the face while trying to get it going again. Keith and I hit the grocery store to pick up a few provisions, did some free laundry (yeah!) had some dinner and then called it a night.

Tuesday, December 29. Today was glacier day. Sadly, we awoke to rain. All and all the weather had been cooperating with us, but watching the rain in the morning, we were wondering whether today was going to be our first wash-out day. After breakfast and checking out, we the road for our 2 hour drive, in the rain, bound for the Franz Josef Glacier. Fortunately as we drove along, the rain let up and finally stopped. Unfortunately, the clouds stayed low, so it was hard to the tops of the mountains. We arrived at the Franz Josef Glacier – one of the top attractions in NZ. The hike into the terminal of the glacier took us 45 minutes or so, across rocky barren land that had once itself been covered by the glacier. The glacier was impressive – a huge cascade of blue ice cut into the middle of a mountain with waterfalls all around. The weather had cleared a bit, though clouds still covered the very top of the glacier. I had seen glaciers before when I traveled to Norway, but this was a first one Keith had ever seen in person. We hiked 45 minutes out, arriving at the car just in time for a rain shower to arrive. We then headed out for a 20-30 minute ride to the Fox Glacier. We arrived in the town of Fox Glacier, checked into our motel and then decided to go explore the Glacier. Driving into Fox Glacier there was a pool of some of the brightest blue water I've even seen – apparently because it's fed by the Glacier. The walk to the terminal took us about 30 minutes. Though the Fox Glacier lacked the waterfalls and was not nearly as crowded as Franz Josef, both Keith and I thought it was more impressive to see than Franz Josef. Seeing a slowly moving mass of blue ice is just incredible. After checking out the Fox Glacier, Keith and I wandered around town a bit. The town was quite small, so it didn't take us long. We then relaxed for a bit, had a snack and then went for another hour or so hike around Lake Matheson. Lake Matheson is supposed to be one of the most scenic spots in all of NZ. On a clear day, it provides “postcard views” of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook. Sadly the clouds still hovered low over the mountains. It was a nice trek around the Lake, though the clouds prevented us from seeing the “postcard views” of mountains. We then headed back to the motel, had some dinner and called it a night.