Queenstown: Sunny, 23-25C,

A Shake Down, or Perhaps A Shake Up?

Now, that was quite the day. We've been walking lots of kilometres since we arrived, but with the bike ride fast approaching we decided that a day in the saddle was in order. A good idea as we've hardly touched our bikes since we began prepping for and walking Camino. it helped to remind us of many of the lessons we learned during our preparations for and during our Nederlands ride two and a half years ago. So late last night we arranged bikes, purchased water bottles and gathered our cycling gear together. 

We picked up the bikes, mountain bikes not hybrid trail bikes as I'd requested, but oh well. That was a mistake as the bikes weren't that good, and were not really suitable for distance riding. We were excited to ride, so accepted what was available and off we went. Probably not our best decision, but we survived the 46kms and we know our next bikes will be much better. Any way, back to the day, and here are a few shots taken along the river after we departed the main lake pictured above...

I think this is the first photo of some sheep I've taken in the land of the sheep! How did tht happen?

While it doesn't look like it, this river is very fast flowing. Incredible color and beauty.

Lots of sharp climbs on this route with switch backs and loose surface, so a good preparation for some of what we will see the day after tomorrow. 

A nice crossing of a secondary smaller river.

A stop for lunch at a sweet, cool spot along the main river...very welcome indeed!

Then the remainder of the ride back complete with quale and a new bird for me.

Once all was said and done, we had a cold drink and returned for a brilliant shower! Both agreed that while the bikes weren't great, it was a wonderful day and we re-learned a great deal. Things should go a bit better the first day of our ride on the Alps to Ocean. We chatted with the operator of the company providing us with our bikes and accommodations, and everything sounds like it's in order. He will pick us up at 9:30 and drive us up to Mt Cook Village where our chopper will be ready for departure with our bikes at 2:30pm. So lots to look forward to, and tomorrow will be spent preparing gear, and picking up some food to sustain us while riding. 

Dinner time here, and I think time for a cold beer!!

Wanaka to Queenstown: Sunny, cool wind, 22C

A Fun Drive!

Confirming that what goes up, definitely comes down!

Morning view down the lake close to our camp.

Last night in Wanaka we discovered just how high we were when it chilled down to just above zero in our little van. The issue was that there was just a summer blanket on the bed, so at 3AM I was up hopping around in the pitch black looking for a couple of shirts and my coat. Annemarie was smart enough to dress appropriately before bed. While up I decided to go for a walk about and discovered it had fully cleared, and there they were...all those millions of stars that had been hiding the past 3 nights! Honestly, it's an amazing sight and I just stood there looking into the night sky. The additional elevation and no lights made for some show!

This morning after cleaning out the van and getting our gear packed up again, we headed on the last leg into Queenstown. We had been told by the owner of a gas station to take this amazing pass, but to drive carefully. So we did. It was narrow, it was windy and it was a hoot to drive! Here is the view from the top looking out to Queenstown before we began a rush of a ride down...

Those who know Annemarie will be aware that she shoots photos with her digital camera as though she was still using expensive film. On the way down this crazy road I asked her to open her window and just start shooting, and to keep shooting until we were down. We laughted and laughted as she tried to break the mold of one photo per day and avoid shooting the road signs! Here are a few of the results...

Not too bad...then we stopped at a view place...

Looking down at the road to come.

This was pretty much the only place in 2,300kms of driving that we saw guide rails in the side of the road, although it was such a steep drop off that they would have been pretty pointless. Then back to Annemarie's efforts...breaking the mold!

Queenstown is beautifully situated on a large deep lake and the Nelson, BC end of the family might enjoy these photos of a 1912 vessel 'Ernslaw' that plies these waters...

Come to think of it, this place looks a little like Nelson!

Hey Gil. Do you recognize this racer? Can't figure out what it's doing on a lake. Named "New Zealand" and must have been used in either the Olympics or the Americas Cup at one time. 

We spent the afternoon looking at wet gear for Annemarie, but found several Marmont retailers who agreed that the coat needs to be returned at home, but provided us with a spray to recondition the existing rain jacket. We'll see how that works out.

Can't say that after 8 nights in a small caravan that it's not nice to be in a comfy little hotel tonight complete with an attached bathroom and a bit softer bed!

Will leave you with a few sunset photos...nice to see it again. We have arranged bikes for tomorrow to see if our bodies still remember how to sit a bike. It's been a very long time since we've ridden and with 310kms to manage beginning Sunday it might be a good idea to have a bit of practice! A beautiful area to ride with many trails to choose from...report to follow!

The Campervan Experience:

Here we sit on our last night in a campground until we reach Tasmania, where we will have another camping experience. We have certainly been more comfortable than Caitlin and Paul were when they had 3 weeks in a mini minivan...this van is pretty much on par with a Westfalia, although the bed is a little wider and we have headroom without lifting a lid. That being said, our van is smaller than the majority of rental vehicles, and probably a bit older as well. It served us well for the most part with some minor deficiencies. The dishes and and cutlery supplied were minimal, and once we did get propane, we found the stove to be significantly under powered...taking 20 minutes to boil water, for instance. Fortunately for us, all of the campgrounds we stayed in had communal kitchens...that seems to be pretty standard in this country. So we did most is our cooking there, with the added benefit of meeting others; campers, travellers, families, locals and visitors. As I write this, there are two young couples exchanging their travel stories at the barbecue hut.

Camping in New Zealand is different from home, and as we noted earlier, more like European camping. We never did get into a government (DOC) campground. But from the information supplied in the camping atlas supplied with our van, they don't appear to be much different. All have kitchens, showers, and most have cabins or motel type rooms on site as well. In two of the earlier campgrounds we visited, there also appeared to be an area where people living in poverty have found a place...decrepit trailers permanently established at the back of the property (a saddening sight to be sure, and something I'd like to learn more about). It's not the "back to nature" atmosphere I'm used to, that's for sure.

We have also noticed that there is a much higher volume of people travelling this way than we see at home. While we do have lots of visitors from Europe renting campers and rv's, I would say that the volume of tourists travelling this way here is at least ten fold...this based on my observations of the vehicles on the road....there doesn't appear to be much local traffic at all!

This section of the trip has added a different element to our experience, one we have enjoyed, but we are looking forward to being back in a hotel room tomorrow night...our great biking adventure awaits!

The Business of Nature:

I love to get out into nature, much more that visiting cities, museums, or historical sites. Geoff is equally happy with all of the above, but I'm much happier when surrounded by trees or water, or both...but I'm beginning to wonder about the impact I, and others like me are having. In today's world, those areas that are blessed with an abundance of natural beauty have turned to an industry that provides people from other places (and locals as well) access to that which we who live in these places take for granted. New Zealand and British Columbia both market their natural beauty, drawing visitors from around the world to access not only the natural experience but also a range of adventure opportunities such as buggy jumping, skydiving, zip lining etc. We have found ourselves in the unusual position of accessing some of the tourist offerings which give us access to areas we wouldn't otherwise be able to experience (notwithstanding the many wonderful times we've taken advantage of Don and Kati's business of course). The Abel Tasman walk yesterday is a prime example...there is a very large industry surrounding the natural beauty of the park...the choices of water taxi, tour, and guided offerings are almost overwhelming. Even so, we really didn't find the trail crowded, and I worry that even more companies will come in. At some point saturation will be reached, but the damage is already evident. I overheard one person who had tramped the full trail talking about the infestation of mice and rats at all the camping spots (a direct result, of course, of the volume of people and the food they bring with them). The rodents had chewed holes through both of their packs, and I was glad we hadn't chosen to do the multi day trip (we looove our packs, and I can't stand rodents of any sort).

Tonight we sit in the rainforest at Franz Josef...an experience very reminiscent of Tofino; complete with a downpour concurrent with extreme water restrictions (tonight's rain should help a little). The town itself is a little smaller than Tofino, and doesn't have the same funky character...it is more heavily touristed,  consisting primarily of hotels, restaurants, adventure outlets (in this case primarily helicopter tours that get you right on the glacier) and a few tourist shops. 

We have, however, found that those who serve the tourist trade here are exceptional...every one we've encountered, whether at tourist information, reception in the hotels or campgrounds, or the wait staff in restaurants,  have been uniformly friendly, competent and helpful, not to mention willing to go out of their way to ensure we have a pleasant experience in "their" country. Their is in quotes, because few of them are actually from here, they seem to have come here from everywhere ... And have chosen to stay at least for a while.

I'm not sure why, but I've never before been as strongly struck by how large the nature tourism industry is...and I can't help but wonder where it will lead. As with everything else it all seemed so much simpler in my youth...maybe I'm just getting old (after all, I am retired now!)

Franz Josef: Cloud, some rain, some sun, more rain tonight, 22C

A Little Carried Away Driving?

Sorry about the double photos...technical problem, and I'm too pooped to try to fix tonight. Enjoy.

When we were looking at the drive today the chart told us that it was a 5 hour drive to the west coast. Lots of winding roads and such, so we were up and on the road by 7:45 to give us time for a walk or something at the end of the day. Plan was to drive to Paparoa National Park where we would camp overcamp and see the "pancake" rock formations and pressure blow holes. Well, three hours later we were sitting in Westport after an uneventful, very windy drive having our coffee break and sharing a cookie (some things are just ingrained) thinking that it's just 50kms left to drive. So off to get food supplies and petrol...$1.97/l!!!  The lamb was cheap! It should be, there are tonnes of them here. I have no problem munching on them, though I must say they are much smaller than the 12' high sheep I was unfortunate to run into in Spain!

Arriving at the rock formations we found a few very cool things. First this bird, a Wiki Bird, I kid you not. 

This is a juvenile as his legs need to get a bit heavier and he picks up a bit more tone and brown in the feathers and lastly, his beak turns orange. Very cool! A flightless bird what moves amazingly fast! We saw three today. 

Then it was off to see the rock formations which are limestone that has been eroded by wind and water pressure. Large waves roll in off the Tasman Sea and their compression has eroded unique patterns and carved out huge cuts that result in blow holes forming. These pictures will better illustrate...

Then there is an ancient cave system that has obviously collapsed with huge waves continuing to force their way in with explosive results. Incredible power!

And again, and again!

Views north and south...

And for my pal, Rob...soon buddy, you will be out there dancing on your journey.

As we finished our visit the skies opened...hey it's a rain forest, much like the Tofino area Don and Kati. Just a bit different ground cover...

We drove off down the highway having decided that this was too wet to camp there, and hey, Hokitika is just a short 100kms more. Stopped for lunch at a beach in the rain. Looks dry, but it was very wet.

Arrived at the next 'planned' stop and Annemarie's guide said there was nothing much to do there, so we drove on...just 136km to Franz Josef and if we drive there today we can hike all day tomorrow. Great idea we decided! Along the way we found a massive glacier outwash braided river plain. It was amazing and has formed to this size to handle the glacier ice dam sudden releases the glaciers in this area are prone to. Under the ice lakes form and the supporting ice collapses sending massive amounts of water racing downslope...once a geographer....

Slow traffic, winding sections, narrow roads, many long one way bridges like this one,

....our whole day was winding, narrow roads. 9 hours after we started on a 300km drive, we found ourselves in Franz Joseph...550kms on down the road. Oh well, not the first time we have done this. However, we now have a full day here to climb to the glaciers, weather permitting.

then we have two days to get to Queenstown where we drop off Huia...our trusty camper van which presently sits in a rain forest campsite in, what else....the rain! Starting to see the benefits of not renting day to day.

Hopefully the rain will lift overnight so we can go tramping!