Pictures from Travels

Mountains over New Zealand from the plane and for all those who were wondering, here we are with our lives on our back...

Pictures from Christchurch, South Island, NZ

Botanical Gardens and Beach.

Pictures from Christchurch, South Island, NZ

Cathedral, fountain at botanical gardens and Arts Center.

Last Few Days

Friday, January 29. Finally time to catch up. Keith and I have been home for just over a week and things are getting back to normal. To pick up where I last left off, on Sunday, January 17 we spent the day taking in the sights of Christchurch. It was (once again) a drizzly and cold day. We started off the morning by heading to a big flea market. There was lots and lots of stuff, but nothing too impressive. Next we headed to the much needed car wash. It looked like our “little engine that could” had hit everything but the lottery and it was in much need of a little TLC before we had to return it to the car rental company. We then headed into Centre City where we checked out Cathedral Square – the main square in Christchurch and the Cathedral. I did a bit of souvenir shopping in town and picked up a couple of trinkets at the Arts Market. We then wandered through the botanical gardens – the gardens were beautiful though we wished the weather was better. We then hopped in the car to check out the beach. There was a long pier at the beach and we watched the surfers trying to catch the perfect wave. It was getting late in the day so Keith and I headed back to our motel to pack things up. We called it an early night as we had to be up at 3:30 am. The next day started early – so early it was still dark out. We had a 6:15 am flight from Christchurch back to Melbourne so we were up in the wee hours of the morning. We returned the car, caught our flight, went through the usual rounds of customs and immigration and finally arrived at our apartment in Melbourne around 9:30 am or so in the rain – it seemed as if the bad weather was just following us. Unfortunately we were too early to check into our apartment, so we dumped our luggage and headed to McDonald's for breakfast – we were back in the land of free wi-fi. We spent some time wandering around Melbourne and decided to kill some time by heading to the movies. We saw Up in the Air in a ginormous cinema. By the time the movie was over we were able to check into our apartment. The rest of the afternoon was pretty lazy. We did some repacking, had some sushi for dinner and called it a night. The next day we were once again up bright and early. We headed out to Queen Victoria's Market to grab a few late minute souvenirs and grabbed a bite to eat. Before we knew it it was time to head to the airport to catch our flight to L.A. The security was very tight in Melbourne as we had to go through an additional round of security at the gate where we were all patted down and everyone's carry-on luggage was gone through by hand. It made me sad that this is what things have come to. Despite our best efforts, neither Keith nor I were able to sleep on the plane The flight itself seemed to go by pretty quickly and we arrived in L.A. four hours earlier than when we had left Melbourne (kind of weird, but given the time change, that's how things went). We cleared customs in the U.S. - yeah. It was nice to be back on home soil. We had a layover in L.A. and caught our 22nd flight from L.A. to Boston. The flight from L.A. to Boston is one I would just as soon forget. It was by far the worst flight Keith and I had ever taken and to be honest I wasn't sure we were going to make it. The turbulence was the worst I have ever encountered and we hit it several times during the flight. At one point in time the plane dropped so severely that people were screaming. Even the flight attendants said it was the worst they had ever encountered. We FINALLY arrived in Boston – tired, glad to be safe and happy to be home.

So our traveling adventures have come to an end for the moment while we try to spend a few months regrouping. Tentative plan is to head out again in March/April for either Central America or South America or both and then maybe Africa in June/July. Until then – bon voyage!!

Pictures from International Antarctic Centre, Christchurch, NZ

Pictures of Banks Peninsula, South Island, NZ

Hector dolphins and Banks Peninsula.

Pictures from Banks Peninsula, South Island, NZ

Pictures from Arthur's Pass, South Island, NZ

Pictures from Arthur's Pass, South Island, NZ

South Island, NZ

Thursday, January 14. Today was the day of Arthur's Pass. We awoke once again to cold and cloudy weather. The woman at the front desk had told us the day before that the weather for the Arthur's Pass area looked dismal and raining. Keith and I were a bit perplexed as to what to do, not wanting to drive to Arthur's Pass in the rain, but not really sure what else we would do. After some breakfast and checking out of our motel, we hit the road. We decided to head to Arthur's Pass regardless, with the thought that even if the weather was horrible, we would still have Friday to try and enjoy the area. It was about a two hour drive to Arthur's Pass, but of course it ended up taking us much longer. Arthur's Pass is a number of things – it's one of New Zealand's National Parks, it's also a village (the highest town in NZ with a population of 54) and it's also a road that runs from Christchurch on the east side of the South Island to Greymouth on the west side. As we turned on Arthur's Pass, the weather gods seemed to smile upon Keith and I and the sun came out. Though there were ominous clouds all around us, there was blue sky and sun above us. Arthur's Pass, similar to Haast Pass, is quite scenic as you cross the Southern Alps. There are snow-capped mountains, fields of cows and sheep and blue blue glacier rivers and streams. On the way to the village of Arthur's Pass we stopped at Castle Hill Conservation Area. There, we hiked around for about 45 minutes through HUGE limestone formations. We continued on making a few stops here and there taking a few happy snaps. We made it to the village of Arthur's Pass early in the afternoon. We were able to check into our hostel – a cute little house with three bedrooms, a nice big kitchen and a wood burning fireplace – and we made some lunch. We decided to drive a little more of Arthur's Pass and drove another 30 km or so towards the west coast. Finally by about 2:30 or 3:00 pm the weather looked like it was finally catching up to us. We headed back to the village of Arthur's Pass in hopes of getting a short hike in before the rain started. Though the clouds had rolled it, we managed to hike for about an hour to Devils Punchbowl Falls – a 131 meter waterfall. After hiking, we hit the general store/cafe, had some hot chocolate and read the paper. We headed back to the hostel where someone had started a fire (the rain had started by now). We enjoyed a nice leisurely evening with no television (which was really nice for a change – though Keith may disagree). We met a nice woman and her two teenage children and chatted with them for quite awhile before calling it a night.

Friday, January 15. Today was a busy day. Keith and I both awoke very early and were on the road by 7:15 am or so. It was a pretty ride back out of Arthur's Pass and the weather looked so-so. We arrived in Christchurch at our motel around 9:30 am and amazingly we were able to check-in. We looked at the weather and it looked like today was going to the best day out of the next three days – so we headed off to the Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula. The Banks Peninsula has rolling hills and beautiful blue water and was formed by two giant volcanic eruptions. It reminded us a bit of the Otago Peninsula. Akaroa is about an 1 ½ hour drive from Christchurch though Keith and I took the scenic route, which had spectacular views, and which took us through the hills and high above the harbours. The drive ended up taking us two hours or so. Akaroa has a year-round population of only 500-600 people. It is the site of NZ's first (and only) French settlement. The town still has a strong french influence which is reflected in the names of the streets and businesses as well as the architecture. Keith and I wandered around the charming little town for a bit and the weather was beautiful. A popular activity to do in Akaroa is to take a boat cruise to see the Hector dolphins – the smallest and rarest of all the dolphins. Since it was such a nice day, we decided to go for a 2 ½ hour sail on a 47 foot sailboat. There were only five other people on our sail and our captain. Our captain was a nice chap and told us the whole history of the area. It did get a little chilly on our sail, though as soon as we turned out of the wind, the sun came out and it was quite nice. Towards the end of our sails we finally saw some Hector dolphins which came swimming right along-side the boat. They are quite small and aren't as demonstrative as some of the other kinds of dolphins, but it was exciting nevertheless. We arrived back in the harbour around 4:00 pm. Keith and I grabbed an ice cream and headed out. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so on our way back to Christchurch we stopped at the gondola. It was about a 10 minute ride up to the top where there were great views of the Banks Peninsula, Lyttleton Harbour, Christchurch and the surrounding area. We finally arrived back to our motel around 7:00 pm or so. We were both exhausted from getting up so early, so we grabbed a pizza for dinner and called it a night.

Saturday, January 16. Today was the day of Antarctica. We awoke to cold and dreary weather once again, a perfect day for what we were going to do. After some breakfast, we quickly checked out a weekend market at the Arts Centre and decided we would head back there after visiting the International Antarctic Centre. We headed off to the International Antarctic Centre. Apparently 70% of all travels to Antarctica originate in Christchurch. The Centre itself is part of a huge complex built for the administration of the NZ, U.S. and Italian Antarctic programs. Keith and I spent a few hours at the Centre, learning all about Antarctica, finally seeing small blue penguins, visiting the Antarctica Storm Center - a room with snow and ice that simulate storms with wind chill temperatures reaching -18 degrees Celsius (so basically the same as home), and taking a Hagglund Ride (an all-terrain vehicle that is often used in Antarctica) up and down hills and across a pond. Antarctica seems like an amazing place, like a completely different world and perhaps a place I'd like to visit sometime in the future. After finishing at the Antarctica Center we headed back to the motel for a late lunch. We then headed back out to the Arts Centre. The Arts Centre itself is a beautiful old stone building that looks like it was once part of a school or university. They've turned it into a commercial area with craft stores, boutiques, art galleries and restaurants. Every Saturday and Sunday they have an outdoor market with lots of booths selling all kinds of crafts, street food and live music. Keith and I wandered around for a bit and then it started to drizzle. We took refuge at a restaurant/bar and enjoyed a pitcher of beer and some fries. We then stopped at the grocery store to grab some provisions for dinner. We went back to the motel, made some dinner, had some wine and watched a little tv. It was cold and raining out and we had an evening visitor meowing outside of our door. We let her in and I gave her some warm milk. She clearly did not want to go back out and spent the next several hours curled up on the bed between Keith and I.

Pictues from South Island, NZ

Lake Tekapo, the Church of the Good Shepherd and pictures from the drive to Methven.

Pictures from Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, South Island, NZ

More pictures from Aoraki Mount Cook National Park.

Pictures from Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, South Island, NZ

From our helicopter trip.

Pictures from Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, South Island, NZ

Mount Cook, Mount Cook National Park and the Tasman Glacier Lake and Keith and I on top of the mountain.

South Island, NZ

Tuesday, January 12. Today was Mount Cook day. We awoke in Wanaka to sunshine – FINALLY! After some breakfast and checking out, we hit the road for our 3 ½ hour drive to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Aoraki is the Maori name for Mount Cook). The first part of the drive was quite nice with rolling hills but second part of the drive was spectacular as we headed into the Park. Mount Cook is the highest mountain in all of Australasia, being over 3,755 meters tall. The Park itself contains 22 of NZ's 27 mountains that are over 3,050 meters high. With huge snow-capped mountains, a creamy blue lake and blue sky, it was beautiful. We arrived at the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Center at the base of Mount Cook around noon time. Sir Edmund Hillary was the first person to successfully climb Mount Everest and he used Mount Cook as a training ground. The Center houses a small museum, a planetarium and a 3-D movie theater. Keith and I caught a 12:30 pm show in the planetarium which was pretty cool. The planetarium is the southern most planetarium in the world. As luck would have it, we were able to book a 1:30 pm helicopter ride. We had wanted to take a helicopter ride when we had been over by the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, but the weather had been cloudy and dreary. This was by far the nicest day we had had for awhile and the views of the mountains were spectacular. We were both psyched that we were able to book a trip on such short notice. The helicopter ride was AWESOME. There were just four of us in the helicopter plus the pilot and a pilot-in-training. They took us by a number of glaciers including the Tasman Glacier, the Franz Josef Glacier and the Fox Glacier. They took us all around Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. It felt like we were on top of the world. We got to land on top of one of the mountain in the Park and play in the snow. I even made a snow angel. The weather was perfect and the views were amazing. Our ride lasted almost an hour and was one the best things we've done on our trip. When we got back from our ride, we had some lunch and then went for a short hike in to see the Tasman Glacier Lake. All and all we had great day exploring Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. We finally headed out of the park around 4:30 pm. We had about a 1 ½ drive to Lake Tekapo, where we would be spending the night. Much of the drive was picturesque as we circled a lake with spectacular views of Mount Cook. We arrived in Lake Tekapo around 6:00 pm. We checked into our apartment and then went to explore town. There wasn't much to town. Apparently Lake Tekapo is the best place in NZ to see stars and as a result they have an observatory. Unfortunately the clouds had rolled in so there would be no star-gazing for Keith and I. We were just happy to have had such a beautiful day. After some dinner, we called it a night.

Wednesday, January 13. Today was driving day – destination Methven. After a late start, we stopped by the Church of the Good Shepherd - a small stone church that sits on the edge of Lake Tekapo. The church was charming. Lake Tekapo itself was spectacular with amazing creamy blue glacier water and snow-capped mountains situated at the far end (sadly pictures don't capture the remarkable color). We had about a two hour drive to Methven. The drive was pretty uneventful and the weather once again clouded up. We arrived in Methven early afternoon. With Mount Hutt ski area close by, Methven is a popular ski spot during the winter. It is very quiet during the summer, but it was a good stopping point on the way to Arthur's Pass – our next stop. After checking in, we explored town a bit and grabbed some provisions for dinner. We enjoyed a pitcher of beer at one of the local pubs and then headed back to our motel to make some dinner. After some yummy tacos, a bottle of wine and a little tv, we called it a night.

Pictures from Mount Aspiring National Park, South Island, NZ

Me on a swing bridge in Mount Aspiring National Park, Rob Roy Glacier, Mount Aspiring National Park and some cows crossing the road.

Pictures from Otago Peninsula, South Island, NZ

Larnach Castle, view from the tower and Otago Peninsula.

South Island, NZ

Saturday, January 9. Today was the day to explore the Otago Peninsula. The weather was cold and dreary. We headed out nevertheless. Our first stop was Larnach Castle – New Zealand's only castle. The castle was built in the 1870's by William Larnach in an effort to impress his wife who was descendent from French nobility. We spent a few hours exploring the castle and the gardens. They reminded me of a smaller version of the Biltmore in North Carolina. There were beautiful views from the castle's tower. Unfortunately the rain had started and it didn't look like it was going to stop. We spent the rest of the afternoon driving around the Peninsula. We saw albatross and more fur seals, but sadly no penguins. We headed back to the motel late in the afternoon and after doing some laundry and having dinner, we called it a night.

Sunday, January 10. Happy Birthday LB!!! Today was driving day – destination Wanaka. We awoke to another day of rain. After having some breakfast, packing the car, checking out of the motel, purchasing some gas and getting a large diet coke from McDonalds, we hit the road. We were circling back to Wanaka – a town we had spent one night in before and a town we wanted to revisit. We drove through an area called Central Otago – a beautiful area that produces lots of fruit and wine. It seemed like there were fruit stalls every 500 meters or so. Unfortunately the weather turned from bad to worse and the rain continued throughout the entire 3 ½ hour drive. Despite the rain, the drive was still picturesque. We arrived in Wanaka around 1:30 pm. We checked into our apartment – a great spot with the view of Lake Wanaka and then went to town to grab some provisions. The cold and dreary weather continued throughout the rest of the afternoon (it seems like it has been weeks since we've seen the sun). We spent the rest of the day lounging about, watching television and generally being lazy. It was the perfect day to do so.

Monday, January 11. Today was a day of tramping (aka trekking, bushwalking or hiking – called it what you wish). We awoke early with hopes of catching the Patriots game. Despite our best efforts, we had yet to see a Patriots game since our travels began. As luck would have it, the game was on and as unluck would have it, the Patriots played terribly and truth be told we turned it off after they missed the field goal in the 4th quarter. After packing a lunch, we hit the road to go hike the Rob Roy Glacier Track in Mount Aspiring National Park. My Lonely Planet says the following about Mount Aspiring National Park: “The park, which has wide valleys, secluded flats, more than 100 glaciers and sheer mountains, now blankets more than 3500 sq km of the Southern Alps....” We had about an hour drive to the start of the track with about ¾ of the drive being on unpaved road. In addition, we had stopped at the visitor's center where they had told us that there were a number of fords along the way because of the rain from the day before. They weren't sure whether we'd be able to get through. We set out nevertheless. The drive proved to be quite an adventure. In addition to driving through a huge valley with lots of sheep and cows, we came across 8 or 9 fords (basically places where the road dips down and is filled with 1-2 feet of water rushing to the river below). The first ford we came to there was a line of cars and people standing around trying to figure out whether their cars would make it through. As an aside, with our little Mitsubishi Colt, we had by far the smallest and lowest car. One car made it though, so of course Keith said it would be no problem for us to get through (we me of course convinced that we were going to get stuck or our car would get washed away). Amazing we managed to make it through all of the fords as well as some thick mud. We made it to the track's parking lot though I was worried about what the road would look like on our way back. We set off on our track. Though it was cool, the sun was trying to make it's way out. It was about an 1 hour 45 minutes trek into the glacier. It was beautiful hike. There was a glacier blue river that ran along side us for much of the way. We crossed through big fields, a swing bridge and small waterfalls. There were many large waterfalls coming off the steep mountains. The hike was one of the harder treks that we've done as it was uphill for much of the way and at times quite rocky. When we finally reached the viewpoint for the glacier the weather had become overcast and drizzly. Nevertheless the view of the glacier was spectacular. We had some lunch while looking at the snow and ice capped mountains and we were accompanied by many keas. We had another 1 hour 45 minute hike back to the car. The weather cleared a bit. The hike back was a little easier, though it was still quite a trek. The fords and the mud on the way out wasn't as bad as I had expected and other than having to stop a few times for cows and sheep to cross the road, the ride back was pretty uneventful. We nicknamed our car, “The Little Engine that Could.” Keith and I were both spent from the hike. We finally made it back to our apartment around 5:30 pm. We had some dinner, drank some wine and called it a night.

Pictures from South Island, NZ

Pictures from Taieri Gorge Railway.