After 4 nights in Queenstown, it was time to move on. It would have
been cool to go further south and check out Invercargill, Stewart
Island, and the Caitlins, but I didn't have enough motivation or money
to plan all that out or willingly travel to colder temperatures, so I
decided to continue on the Magic route to Dunedin with plans to explore
the Otago Peninsula.
Somewhere in the past week, I managed to catch a cold. Last
night my muscles were aching and my throat felt like it had a knife
lodged halfway down, so I went to sleep instead of packing up my bag.
This morning, I couldn't make myself get up, and slept in an extra hour,
leaving me with 45 minutes to pack, eat breakfast, and walk a block
over to the pick up stop. It should have been no problem. The bus was
set to leave at 7:45. At 7:40, I was just about ready to leave. At
7:47, I made it out of the hostel. I wasn't too worried because the
Magic Bus is always late. At 7:49, I watched it drive past me.
Fuck.
I was oddly calm, and even entertained by my complete
uselessness. I stood on the main street and contemplated my options. I
was locked out of the hostel, and reception wouldn't get there for
another 2 hours. The Magic Bus wouldn't come back for 2 days, and I was
done with Queenstown anyways. I could call Intercity (similar to
Greyhound), but..
In the past few months the romance of hitchiking in New Zealand
has grown ever more appealing. So I started to walk along the road out
of town.
My first ride took me from Queenstown out to the traffic circle
past all the suburbs, which gave me a better chance of hooking up with a
driver who was actually leaving the city. He was a fellow traveller on
a working holiday visa who got sucked into the black-hole appeal of
Queenstown and luckily found a job working out at the airport.
From the traffic circle, I was picked up by a businessman from
Christchurch who had been doing work in Queenstown, and was heading to
Wanaka for a final meeting before returning home. We chatted mostly
chatted about his kids, who are all my age and in various stages of
'leaving the nest'. He also told me I had to see a rugby game before I
left the country, and that conveniently there will be one on Saturday in
Dunedin. He dropped me off in Cromwell.
My third and favourite ride was a 68 year old from Dunedin named
Richard who worked for the rural school board union in Otago. He was
visiting the schools along the highway between Cromwell and Dunedin. He
said he hitchhiked across the country when he was 20, and always picks
up hitchers to pay his dues. At one point he pulled over to a rest stop
and said, "We're going to stop here because I have to pee. Please don't
be anxious." I laughed. Something about his fancy new car, grey hair,
jazz music, and purple/pink/yellow flowered tie made me trust him
completely.
Richard had to stop over in Roxburgh to visit a school, but he
told me if I hadn't found a ride in half an hour he would pick me up
again. But he didn't need to, as Carol from Clyde was on her way to
Dunedin to see the "Menopause the Musical". She enjoyed picking up
hitchhikers to bring the world to her since she didn't have the money to
see the world. It was fun to hear her life story. She was born in
Clyde, and stayed there her whole life. Her kids moved to other parts
of the country for a while, but they came back as there is apparently
something appealing about the town that Carol couldn't name. She is
heavily involved in the community, and I found her passion for it really
cool as I really don't have that kind of attachment to Edmonton.
Carol was stopping over to visit her aunt just outside of
Dunedin, so she dropped me off in a suburb so I could pick up a ride for
the last 20km to city centre. Within 5 minutes, I saw three different
police cars drive by. Hitchhiking isn't illegal in New Zealand, but I
wasn't about to put my thumb out for them. Right after the third car
drove by, a truck pulled over. Turns out the truck was an unmarked
police vehicle who was a part of the police car caravan. The police man
moved over a police vest and police files into the back seat, and I
hopped into the cab not entirely sure if I was being arrested or just
getting a ride. Turns out a group of them had gone out to do some
police dog training outside the city. The puppy was in the back of the
covered truck. It took me a few minutes to calm down, considering I was
surrounded by police gear like a flashlight/baton, buttons for sirens,
and a police radio, but he was just a friendly guy who radio-ed in that
he was picking up a hitcher and would be a few minutes late. He gave me
some suggestions for things to do in the city, dropped me off in the
Octagon (which is the very centre of town) and wished me luck. I love
this country.
In the end, I didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes for a ride
at any point. And when I got to my hostel, I told the receptionist how
cool my morning was and she said that people off the Magic Bus had been
checked in minutes earlier. So I didn't waste any time, and have a
memory that will last a lot longer than "that one time I took the Magic
Bus again."
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Rewards
Celebrating a successful drive from Greymouth to Queenstown by demolishing a Fergburger. It was just as I remembered it: delicious and the size of my head.
Early Bird Catches the Worm. Or Sunrise.
My transfer car had to be in Queenstown by 8:45 this morning due to the contract of getting the car for free. When I was telling this to the receptionist at the hostel in Wanaka, she warned me that the shorter route through the Crown Range has a tendency to ice over, and so even though it may technically be faster, there is a good chance it will take more time based on conditions around the hairpin turns and waiting for trucks to put chains on.
The issue was that I was already past my allotted kilometres and would have to pay 30 cents per kilometre I travelled. I was okay with this since the few extra dollars I would have to pay allowed me to go see the Rob Roy Glacier, but given the choice between safe roads and money savings, I naturally took the short cut. To make up for the possible delays on this route, I was on the road by 6:45 – an hour before sunrise. Since it was a Sunday and ridiculously early, I could count the cars that I passed on one hand. The temperature was floating just above 0, and even though there was frost on the cars parked in Wanaka, there was none on the road. My early rise ended up being incredibly rewarding as I was just in time for a spectacular sunrise over the Crown Range that looks out over Queenstown. The mountains were turning pink, the fog in the valley added some wonderful mystery, and there was just me, myself, and I to enjoy it.
The issue was that I was already past my allotted kilometres and would have to pay 30 cents per kilometre I travelled. I was okay with this since the few extra dollars I would have to pay allowed me to go see the Rob Roy Glacier, but given the choice between safe roads and money savings, I naturally took the short cut. To make up for the possible delays on this route, I was on the road by 6:45 – an hour before sunrise. Since it was a Sunday and ridiculously early, I could count the cars that I passed on one hand. The temperature was floating just above 0, and even though there was frost on the cars parked in Wanaka, there was none on the road. My early rise ended up being incredibly rewarding as I was just in time for a spectacular sunrise over the Crown Range that looks out over Queenstown. The mountains were turning pink, the fog in the valley added some wonderful mystery, and there was just me, myself, and I to enjoy it.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Crayfish
After the glacier hike, I dropped off the Germans and went for a walk around town. I ran into Cam, the Magic Bus driver who took me from Nelson to Greymouth. Along the Magic route that day, they stopped at a Whitebait shack to try the special New Zealand cuisine. A fisherman came in while they were there with a whole bucket full of crayfish. You can't sell these lobster-like creatures without a permit in New Zealand, so he decided to just give the Magic Bus two of them to let the travellers try some. Since I was technically a magic passenger, Cam invited me out to the dinner that night where I ate my fill of crayfish. The funny thing about these creatures is that they can sell for up to $80/kg. I had my first crayfish feast for free in Kaikoura after Chantal went fishing, and I here I was managing to score another free feast. And so, even when I am not travelling on it, the Magic Bus wins again.
Rob Roy Glacier
I woke up this morning at sunrise after a long and restful sleep. I plodded out into the main sitting area in my socks to eat some breakfast, and was instantly rewarded with the view of the mountains across the lake that fit perfectly into the picture window of the hostel. The clouds were low on the mountains, and the sun was just starting to bring colour into the rock. I wanted to take a picture, but having the 2 blocks of trees in between me and the lakefront wasn't going to cut it. As I hadn't bothered to put on shoes, I contemplated going back to my room, but people were sleeping, and I was worried that the light from the sunrise might be moving fast. I first stepped out onto the deck to take the picture, but realized that wasn't going to be good enough either and ended up running down the 2 blocks to the lakefront. When I got back I checked the weather, and it was -1 outside. No regrets.
I moved slow during the morning, enjoying breakfast while staring out the window and organizing some of my pictures. I wanted to do the Rob Roy Glacier Hike, which was recommended to me by Rachel, but I didn't want to take the 100km round trip car ride by myself. I managed to meet up with Julian and Kristi from Germany at the visitors centre who were willing to pitch in some gas money for a ride out. They were quiet, but friendly. Not the type of travellers you add on Facebook later, but the kind who seek a mutual goal through shared means. And that's alright with me.
The road goes 20km down a paved track winding around Lake Wanaka, and then continues on for 30km on a gravel road through farmers fields surrounded by mountains. Even without the trailhead at the end, this road was worth the drive, and was complimented by the autumn colours in the trees. The track itself starts out on pasture land, and then crosses over a river on a swing bridge into the forest. It passes along creeks that have the blue tinge created from glacial sources. At the end, there is a waterfall that must be close to 500m tall shooting out over a sheer, vertical cliff face, and just to the right is the Rob Roy galcier. Quite a spectacular sight.
On the drive back, we were stopped halfway through by a herd of sheep who were being shepherded onto another field. At first we crawled behind the farmer in his truck, but after a few minutes he waved his arm and told us to go right on through. The sheep were covering the entire width of the road, and they went on for another 500 metres. There must have been 2000 of them. But as you slowly accelerate your way through, they notice the big moving metal contraption and literally jump out of the way. We couldn't stop giggling. Great way to end the hike.
I moved slow during the morning, enjoying breakfast while staring out the window and organizing some of my pictures. I wanted to do the Rob Roy Glacier Hike, which was recommended to me by Rachel, but I didn't want to take the 100km round trip car ride by myself. I managed to meet up with Julian and Kristi from Germany at the visitors centre who were willing to pitch in some gas money for a ride out. They were quiet, but friendly. Not the type of travellers you add on Facebook later, but the kind who seek a mutual goal through shared means. And that's alright with me.
The road goes 20km down a paved track winding around Lake Wanaka, and then continues on for 30km on a gravel road through farmers fields surrounded by mountains. Even without the trailhead at the end, this road was worth the drive, and was complimented by the autumn colours in the trees. The track itself starts out on pasture land, and then crosses over a river on a swing bridge into the forest. It passes along creeks that have the blue tinge created from glacial sources. At the end, there is a waterfall that must be close to 500m tall shooting out over a sheer, vertical cliff face, and just to the right is the Rob Roy galcier. Quite a spectacular sight.
On the drive back, we were stopped halfway through by a herd of sheep who were being shepherded onto another field. At first we crawled behind the farmer in his truck, but after a few minutes he waved his arm and told us to go right on through. The sheep were covering the entire width of the road, and they went on for another 500 metres. There must have been 2000 of them. But as you slowly accelerate your way through, they notice the big moving metal contraption and literally jump out of the way. We couldn't stop giggling. Great way to end the hike.
Friday, May 4, 2012
South on Highway 6
New Zealand has this absolutely fantastic website called Transfer Car, which is a listing of all the rental cars that need relocating throughout the country. Since the vehicles need to be moved, the companies let you drive them for free. Some even throw in a free tank of gas. I have been aware of the site for most of my time in the country, but since the cars have a maximum amount of days and kilometres you can travel, I was unable to find a relocation that was quite right for what I wanted to do.
I wasn't keen on repeating this particular stretch of the Magic Tour (although it was lovely the first time). As if in answer to my problem, I found a transfer car going from Greymouth to Queenstown. I requested it online, within an hour the company confirmed it, and this morning I picked up my shiny, well-loved Nissan.
Much like the rest of New Zealand, the stretch from Greymouth to Wanaka is gorgeous. However this one has the perks of going along the Southern Alps, which means you spend equal time driving through forest, along the coast, and over and around mountains. There are even some stretches of flat farmland that give you a much needed break from the ridiculously windy roads. Last time, my poor little Magic Bus self could do little else but lay back and fall asleep to keep the nausea away. Today in the drivers seat, I felt like I had expensive front row seats. Thanks to travelling in the off season on the sparsely populated West Coast, I could slow down to take a better look without having another car in sight.
The morning began without a cloud in the sky, and as I drove south from Greymouth, the snowy Southern Alps rose up to greet me. My first stop was at Franz Josef Glacier. I skipped out on going on a glacier hike the first time around, and recently the amount of recession from the glacier has made hiking unsafe and so the walking tours have been cancelled. They do have a heli-hike option where they fly you up onto the top of the glacier, but a lack of funds and a lack of feeling really inspired to do the hike led me to skip the expensive touristy bits. Instead I just drove to the carpark where you can hike up to the glacier front. You can't go on the ice without a guide as tourists have died from going solo. I have a feeling they were of the stupid variety, but still. I walked in for about a half hour and got some great shots of the glacier reflected in a lake, but I wanted to see Fox Glacier too so I didn't bother going all the way up.
From Franz, I continued on to Lake Matheson, which is a lake carved out by the Fox Glacier way back when. The lake is most well known for its ability to create a perfect reflection of Mt Cook, which is the highest peak in New Zealand. I had some lunch by the trail head, and then started the hike. The clouds started to move in at this point and it looked like they were going to cover the mountain. I walked quickly around the lake, hoping to beat the clouds. When I got to the end, I climbed up out of the trees to the viewing platform and... the mountain was completely covered in clouds. I was thoroughly annoyed with myself for wasting time eating lunch when I could have been at the platform before the clouds moved in. After a minute of sulking and looking out at the (still stunning) view, I snapped out of it. I did see Mount Cook without clouds. I ate my lunch outside, staring up at it's snowy peaks. In fact, I was so enthralled with it that the fork almost missed my mouth a few times. It's funny how you can lock on to an idea like that. It's not as if I came all the way to the other side of the world to take that picture. I'm am sorry you can't see my mediocre picture, but you can always google it.
After the rest of the lovely walk, I drove to the Fox Glacier car park. Fox is the 'younger sibling' of Franz, by which I mean Franz is more frequented by tourists. So naturally, I was instantly more impressed with Fox. I'm sure Franz Josef is fantastic when you're on the glacier itself, but driving up the valley to Fox was amazing. It's amazing to think of how the path was carved by ice, especially when thinking of the prairies I live on in Canada and how those were flattened by a glacier larger than I can comprehend. From the Fox car park, there was a half hour walk further up the valley that passed waterfalls and rivers and ended in the spectacular view of the ice. Before I saw the glaciers, I kept telling myself, “whatever, we have glaciers in Canada”. But being there looking up at the ice was still amazing.
After Fox was a relatively boring hour-long drive to the town of Haast. At this point I was getting tired of driving, but I still wanted to spend the night in Wanaka. I had my tinny iPod speaker to keep me company, so I put on some bouncy tunes and kept driving. Soon I came to the Haast Pass which winds through Mt Aspiring National Park. Here you drive along the valley floor surrounded by low, tree covered mountains and high rocky peaks covered in snow. I kind of wish I had recorded myself driving, because when I made it around some corners and yet another amazing alpine peak presented itself, I was whooping and shouting and gasping and generally in awe of mother nature around me. One part of the road in particular was beside a lake that went up to the base of a beautiful mountain with the almost full moon looming just behind. I stopped on the side of the road to take a picture and just kept waiting for someone else to come along so I could point and say, “DO YOU SEE. HOW BEAUTIFUL. THIS IS?” But no one did. A country this beautiful and only 4 million people call it home. To make it even more unbelievable, there are only 1 million on the South Island. And most live in cities.
This leg of the journey took another hour, but when I left the mountains I was sad to see them go. The feeling didn't last long though, as the twin lakes of Wanaka and Hawei came up in no time. As I drove along the rocky edges of the lakes, the sun was setting and they were lit in the most amazing glow. Compared to road trips on the prairies, .. well actually no, you can't compare it to road trips on the prairies. This drive was endlessly rewarding.
After driving to the far ends of the lakes, I pulled into the town of Wanaka just after nightfall, and secured a bed at one of my favourite hostels. I ended up driving 500km today, and on New Zealand roads, that is definitely a lot. I'm exhausted, but so happy with the way things turned out. The only way the day could have been better was if I had someone to share it with. But I guess that's what you're for, Blog.
I wasn't keen on repeating this particular stretch of the Magic Tour (although it was lovely the first time). As if in answer to my problem, I found a transfer car going from Greymouth to Queenstown. I requested it online, within an hour the company confirmed it, and this morning I picked up my shiny, well-loved Nissan.
 |
| My little beauty parked in front of Mt Cook (pre-cloud cover) |
Much like the rest of New Zealand, the stretch from Greymouth to Wanaka is gorgeous. However this one has the perks of going along the Southern Alps, which means you spend equal time driving through forest, along the coast, and over and around mountains. There are even some stretches of flat farmland that give you a much needed break from the ridiculously windy roads. Last time, my poor little Magic Bus self could do little else but lay back and fall asleep to keep the nausea away. Today in the drivers seat, I felt like I had expensive front row seats. Thanks to travelling in the off season on the sparsely populated West Coast, I could slow down to take a better look without having another car in sight.
The morning began without a cloud in the sky, and as I drove south from Greymouth, the snowy Southern Alps rose up to greet me. My first stop was at Franz Josef Glacier. I skipped out on going on a glacier hike the first time around, and recently the amount of recession from the glacier has made hiking unsafe and so the walking tours have been cancelled. They do have a heli-hike option where they fly you up onto the top of the glacier, but a lack of funds and a lack of feeling really inspired to do the hike led me to skip the expensive touristy bits. Instead I just drove to the carpark where you can hike up to the glacier front. You can't go on the ice without a guide as tourists have died from going solo. I have a feeling they were of the stupid variety, but still. I walked in for about a half hour and got some great shots of the glacier reflected in a lake, but I wanted to see Fox Glacier too so I didn't bother going all the way up.
From Franz, I continued on to Lake Matheson, which is a lake carved out by the Fox Glacier way back when. The lake is most well known for its ability to create a perfect reflection of Mt Cook, which is the highest peak in New Zealand. I had some lunch by the trail head, and then started the hike. The clouds started to move in at this point and it looked like they were going to cover the mountain. I walked quickly around the lake, hoping to beat the clouds. When I got to the end, I climbed up out of the trees to the viewing platform and... the mountain was completely covered in clouds. I was thoroughly annoyed with myself for wasting time eating lunch when I could have been at the platform before the clouds moved in. After a minute of sulking and looking out at the (still stunning) view, I snapped out of it. I did see Mount Cook without clouds. I ate my lunch outside, staring up at it's snowy peaks. In fact, I was so enthralled with it that the fork almost missed my mouth a few times. It's funny how you can lock on to an idea like that. It's not as if I came all the way to the other side of the world to take that picture. I'm am sorry you can't see my mediocre picture, but you can always google it.
After the rest of the lovely walk, I drove to the Fox Glacier car park. Fox is the 'younger sibling' of Franz, by which I mean Franz is more frequented by tourists. So naturally, I was instantly more impressed with Fox. I'm sure Franz Josef is fantastic when you're on the glacier itself, but driving up the valley to Fox was amazing. It's amazing to think of how the path was carved by ice, especially when thinking of the prairies I live on in Canada and how those were flattened by a glacier larger than I can comprehend. From the Fox car park, there was a half hour walk further up the valley that passed waterfalls and rivers and ended in the spectacular view of the ice. Before I saw the glaciers, I kept telling myself, “whatever, we have glaciers in Canada”. But being there looking up at the ice was still amazing.
After Fox was a relatively boring hour-long drive to the town of Haast. At this point I was getting tired of driving, but I still wanted to spend the night in Wanaka. I had my tinny iPod speaker to keep me company, so I put on some bouncy tunes and kept driving. Soon I came to the Haast Pass which winds through Mt Aspiring National Park. Here you drive along the valley floor surrounded by low, tree covered mountains and high rocky peaks covered in snow. I kind of wish I had recorded myself driving, because when I made it around some corners and yet another amazing alpine peak presented itself, I was whooping and shouting and gasping and generally in awe of mother nature around me. One part of the road in particular was beside a lake that went up to the base of a beautiful mountain with the almost full moon looming just behind. I stopped on the side of the road to take a picture and just kept waiting for someone else to come along so I could point and say, “DO YOU SEE. HOW BEAUTIFUL. THIS IS?” But no one did. A country this beautiful and only 4 million people call it home. To make it even more unbelievable, there are only 1 million on the South Island. And most live in cities.
This leg of the journey took another hour, but when I left the mountains I was sad to see them go. The feeling didn't last long though, as the twin lakes of Wanaka and Hawei came up in no time. As I drove along the rocky edges of the lakes, the sun was setting and they were lit in the most amazing glow. Compared to road trips on the prairies, .. well actually no, you can't compare it to road trips on the prairies. This drive was endlessly rewarding.
After driving to the far ends of the lakes, I pulled into the town of Wanaka just after nightfall, and secured a bed at one of my favourite hostels. I ended up driving 500km today, and on New Zealand roads, that is definitely a lot. I'm exhausted, but so happy with the way things turned out. The only way the day could have been better was if I had someone to share it with. But I guess that's what you're for, Blog.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Wild West Coast, Take Two
I am a contradictory traveller. I like the idea of travelling on a whim, of finding some magical place randomly and having the flexibility to stay as long as I want. On the other hand, when I don't have a set plan in place, I stress out. Mini anxiety attacks start rolling in and I complain to anyone who will listen. These kind ears tell me to relax, which I don't, and I inevitably book everything in one go.
Having said that, I want to travel the South Island on a whim. I already have my Magic Bus pass that will take me to most places I want to go for free. The only problem is that I don't really want to stick to the Magic itinerary since I've already travelled on it before. However, with a lack of a better plan, I have started my trip back on the bus. Today we went from Nelson to Greymouth. Last time I did this journey, I was feeling a bit burnt out, there was an intense fog settled over the entire region, and I could not keep my eyes open while the bus was moving.
Today, I started out with fresh touristy energy, the sky was bright blue, and I easily stayed awake for the entire journey. The road from Westport to Greymouth, which locals call the Ocean Road, has been dubbed by Lonely Planet to be one of the top ten road trips in the world. As I said, my last trip along this road was masked in fog and rain. This time I could definitely agree with Lonely Planet. The road winds along the coast perched on higher cliffs that offer amazing vistas of the small rocky outshoots and peninsulas that break up the coastline. The road is the only clear path though, as the rocks are covered in the beautiful green New Zealand bush. To make it even better, this scenic route ends at the Punakaiki (or Pancake) Rocks, which are a geological marvel. As the name suggests, they are rocks stacked on top of eachother by nature. I can't really do this area justice with my words, or even my pictures. If I haven't convinced you by this point, just come to New Zealand already.
Having said that, I want to travel the South Island on a whim. I already have my Magic Bus pass that will take me to most places I want to go for free. The only problem is that I don't really want to stick to the Magic itinerary since I've already travelled on it before. However, with a lack of a better plan, I have started my trip back on the bus. Today we went from Nelson to Greymouth. Last time I did this journey, I was feeling a bit burnt out, there was an intense fog settled over the entire region, and I could not keep my eyes open while the bus was moving.
Today, I started out with fresh touristy energy, the sky was bright blue, and I easily stayed awake for the entire journey. The road from Westport to Greymouth, which locals call the Ocean Road, has been dubbed by Lonely Planet to be one of the top ten road trips in the world. As I said, my last trip along this road was masked in fog and rain. This time I could definitely agree with Lonely Planet. The road winds along the coast perched on higher cliffs that offer amazing vistas of the small rocky outshoots and peninsulas that break up the coastline. The road is the only clear path though, as the rocks are covered in the beautiful green New Zealand bush. To make it even better, this scenic route ends at the Punakaiki (or Pancake) Rocks, which are a geological marvel. As the name suggests, they are rocks stacked on top of eachother by nature. I can't really do this area justice with my words, or even my pictures. If I haven't convinced you by this point, just come to New Zealand already.
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