- I apparently have a very strong American accent. I have a few Kiwis helping me identify exactly what this means.
- Driving on the other side of the road is not that hard if there are other cars around. People tend to forget when they are the only car on the road.
- Most bridges here are of the 1 lane variety, with a right of way sign. Can be exciting.
- Almost nobody has a clothes dryer, and every house has a clothes line. I did this as a kid, but then the air pollution was too strong. The air is very clear here.
- The sports are rugby, cricket, hockey (field hockey), and net ball, in order of popularity.
- Net ball is like basketball, except you can't dribble and the hoop has no backboard. Seriously.
- You are required to wear a helmet on your bicycle, but car insurance is not mandatory.
- Dental and medical care is quite affordable, but not many hospitals.
- Excellent lamb is about $2 US per pound. Good stuff.
- Chicken is pretty expensive.
- Chicken eggs have a vibrant orange yolk, and very flavorful. A little runny, though.
- A LPG tank is referred to as a bottle.
- Your car must be inspected every six months to renew the Warrant of Fitness certificate.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
New Zealand - The Little Things
One of the most popular posts on the Switzerland blog was this same subject, so here we go. I will update this post as more items of interest are discovered.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Franz-Joseph and Fox Glaciers
12.03.2009 (Thursday)
Today is Glacier day! Our goal was to see both Franz-Joseph and Fox Glaciers. It’s cloudy today, but not raining—so we’re happy. We get a good start, driving through many cute, small towns along the way. Ross, a historic mining town would have been fun to poke around had we had more time, but we were determined not to get side-tracked.
Today is Glacier day! Our goal was to see both Franz-Joseph and Fox Glaciers. It’s cloudy today, but not raining—so we’re happy. We get a good start, driving through many cute, small towns along the way. Ross, a historic mining town would have been fun to poke around had we had more time, but we were determined not to get side-tracked.
Stopped at a tourist spot and found the cool remains of an old bridge that reminded me of a Star Wars movie.
We reached Franz-Joseph first and while we were tempted to pay $$$ for a guided tour or helicopter ride, we opted to hike out as far as we could to the Glacier ourselves. It was a great hike among rocks, waterfalls and a lot of weathered stones. 
You can see below a photo of a "Wicked Camper Van" who likes to quote sayings on the side--this one Mark liked about Chuck Norris.
Fox Glacier was closer, but recent hiker deaths closed off the trail to the base of the glacier. Regardless it was a beautiful day. We also took a drive out to Lake Matheson, where supposedly the glaciers are reflected in the lake’s surface, but weather conditions were not in our favor, so we had to settle for a beautiful lake hike, and bouncing along on their swing bridge.
Other views of note today: stacked rocks at Bruce Bay, incredible views of the coast at Knights Point, and the beautiful sand beaches on our drive into Haast.
We stopped for the night in Okuru, just past Haast Beach. It’s a nice camper sight, but tonight we were pretty tired, and mostly enjoyed the email, laundry and kitchen facilities. Mark is reading his new book, and I’m updating our blog!
Sadly, we have to end our trip south. We hoped to make it to Milford Sound or Dunedin, but time just isn’t in our favor—so our goal for tomorrow is to make it as close to Cristchurch as possible. It’s a long drive, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m excited to pass by some more Lord of the Rings film sights, and we’re driving for quite awhile along Lake Hawea. Should be beautiful.
Other views of note today: stacked rocks at Bruce Bay, incredible views of the coast at Knights Point, and the beautiful sand beaches on our drive into Haast.
We stopped for the night in Okuru, just past Haast Beach. It’s a nice camper sight, but tonight we were pretty tired, and mostly enjoyed the email, laundry and kitchen facilities. Mark is reading his new book, and I’m updating our blog!
Sadly, we have to end our trip south. We hoped to make it to Milford Sound or Dunedin, but time just isn’t in our favor—so our goal for tomorrow is to make it as close to Cristchurch as possible. It’s a long drive, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m excited to pass by some more Lord of the Rings film sights, and we’re driving for quite awhile along Lake Hawea. Should be beautiful.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Cape Foulwind, Pancake Rocks and Hokitika
11.03.2009 (Wednesday)
We woke up to grey skies and were worried the day might be a long rainy day—but we were blessed with rain while we drove and then beautiful, sunny skies for the rest of the day. We headed Southwest to the west coast. This was a great drive along the Buller River, the site of some scenes in the Lord of the Rings movies. It was beautiful and dramatic, with lots of water pouring down from the rainstorm.
We reached Westport, which was uneventful, and pouring rain; stopped for supplies and coffee. Mark could not resist driving to Cape Foulwind, which ended up being fantastic. There was a seal colony living on the point, and the storm was driving a continuous lineup of huge waves. As we arrived, the sun came out, and we were blessed with some great sights. Loads of tropical plants, and some cute seals. Our little camera does not do the seals justice, as they look like little turds on a rock in the picture. Trust me, there were seals…and they were cute.
As we have mentioned before, the tides here are pretty drastic. Plus or minus a few meters for high and low tides, so you may be next to the water, or hundreds of meters from the water.
Note for the day from the driver’s seat: Driving a rickety camper van across a one lane bridge that is shared with a train track is challenging, especially when Kathe tries to take a picture across your view. Good times otherwise. Only one bobble in a parking lot when no other cars around. Drove on correct side of road at all other times.
On a side note, Mark’s English may be deteriorating for a while, as he is reading “The Earth is a Harsh Mistress”. The writing style is a little crude. Good read to now. End program. Hi Mike.
We then headed south along Highway 6. A really nice drive, with more one lane bridges and cliff side roads. Pretty interesting driving. Mark was excited because we started seeing penguin crossing signs. Not too many of those in CA.
We next stopped in Punakaiki to look at the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. The park was full of dramatic geological features of layered limestone and mudstone that give the interesting striations. A few cool blow holes, and some beautiful scenery. Again, very thankful for the cooperation of the weather during this visit.
As another side note, it is very easy to spot American’s in N-Zed…they don’t have accents.
After the pancake rocks, we headed further south to Greymouth, where we took a short break from driving and wandered around. We learned that historically this town has a tendency for flooding, and in 1988 built what is now known as the “Great wall of Greymouth.” It truly is a great wall and blocks all views of the ocean. Too bad.
Our final stop for the night is a small town called Hokitika, a town gearing up for their “Wild Foods” festival going on this weekend. Had we stayed we could have feasted on goat, boar, kangaroo, bugs and grubs and many meats I’d not heard of before. An artisan city, we saw jade, wood, glass artisan shops. Cute, but the best feature was the beach right outside our campsite. We sat and watched the sun set, then feasted on pasta and salad, with Quark Cheesecake for dessert. Apparently Quark is a kind of cheese. Yummy none-the-less.
We woke up to grey skies and were worried the day might be a long rainy day—but we were blessed with rain while we drove and then beautiful, sunny skies for the rest of the day. We headed Southwest to the west coast. This was a great drive along the Buller River, the site of some scenes in the Lord of the Rings movies. It was beautiful and dramatic, with lots of water pouring down from the rainstorm.
We reached Westport, which was uneventful, and pouring rain; stopped for supplies and coffee. Mark could not resist driving to Cape Foulwind, which ended up being fantastic. There was a seal colony living on the point, and the storm was driving a continuous lineup of huge waves. As we arrived, the sun came out, and we were blessed with some great sights. Loads of tropical plants, and some cute seals. Our little camera does not do the seals justice, as they look like little turds on a rock in the picture. Trust me, there were seals…and they were cute.
As we have mentioned before, the tides here are pretty drastic. Plus or minus a few meters for high and low tides, so you may be next to the water, or hundreds of meters from the water.
Note for the day from the driver’s seat: Driving a rickety camper van across a one lane bridge that is shared with a train track is challenging, especially when Kathe tries to take a picture across your view. Good times otherwise. Only one bobble in a parking lot when no other cars around. Drove on correct side of road at all other times.
On a side note, Mark’s English may be deteriorating for a while, as he is reading “The Earth is a Harsh Mistress”. The writing style is a little crude. Good read to now. End program. Hi Mike.
We then headed south along Highway 6. A really nice drive, with more one lane bridges and cliff side roads. Pretty interesting driving. Mark was excited because we started seeing penguin crossing signs. Not too many of those in CA.
We next stopped in Punakaiki to look at the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. The park was full of dramatic geological features of layered limestone and mudstone that give the interesting striations. A few cool blow holes, and some beautiful scenery. Again, very thankful for the cooperation of the weather during this visit.
As another side note, it is very easy to spot American’s in N-Zed…they don’t have accents.
After the pancake rocks, we headed further south to Greymouth, where we took a short break from driving and wandered around. We learned that historically this town has a tendency for flooding, and in 1988 built what is now known as the “Great wall of Greymouth.” It truly is a great wall and blocks all views of the ocean. Too bad.
Our final stop for the night is a small town called Hokitika, a town gearing up for their “Wild Foods” festival going on this weekend. Had we stayed we could have feasted on goat, boar, kangaroo, bugs and grubs and many meats I’d not heard of before. An artisan city, we saw jade, wood, glass artisan shops. Cute, but the best feature was the beach right outside our campsite. We sat and watched the sun set, then feasted on pasta and salad, with Quark Cheesecake for dessert. Apparently Quark is a kind of cheese. Yummy none-the-less.
Abel Tasman Park
10.03.2009 (Tuesday)
First thing we noticed this morning: beautiful sunrise; second thing: the awesome hi-tide compared to last night.
This morning we got up, cooked breakfast, showered and got underway.
Our goal was to hike as much of Abel Tasman Park and still allow time to drive south and be positioned for our next day. We promised ourselves not to get too set on any one plan, and today worked out great. The southern entrance to the park is outside Marahau and is only accessible by foot. We considered renting kayaks, or taking a water taxi, so we could see more of the park, but the costs were high, and we thought we could cover a lot of ground on foot.
Over the course of this week we were continually amazed at how much the tide recedes during the day. We were surrounded by water as we left, and 5 hours later upon our return, all of the water had gone out for low tide. Amazing. It reavealed hidden messages left as giant rock sculptures left in the sand by determined "trampers."
Mark had a challenge driving the camper through high winds and then a rainstorm into our final destination for the night—Murchison. We do not recommend the campground we stayed at—even if you’re desperate.
First thing we noticed this morning: beautiful sunrise; second thing: the awesome hi-tide compared to last night.
This morning we got up, cooked breakfast, showered and got underway.
Our goal was to hike as much of Abel Tasman Park and still allow time to drive south and be positioned for our next day. We promised ourselves not to get too set on any one plan, and today worked out great. The southern entrance to the park is outside Marahau and is only accessible by foot. We considered renting kayaks, or taking a water taxi, so we could see more of the park, but the costs were high, and we thought we could cover a lot of ground on foot. As it turned out, we could have spent our entire week camping in the park and not seen all of it, but we didn’t mind, it was all beautiful. We decided on hiking to Stillwater Bay for lunch and then return. It was about 2 ½ hours and we stopped at various beaches and bays along the way. Apple Tree Beach was awesome. The ferns grow as big as palm trees and the contrast between the tropical forest and the golden sand beaches are impressive. I kept trying to get a good photo of a fern unfolding, which is captured in so much of the Maiori artwork.
Over the course of this week we were continually amazed at how much the tide recedes during the day. We were surrounded by water as we left, and 5 hours later upon our return, all of the water had gone out for low tide. Amazing. It reavealed hidden messages left as giant rock sculptures left in the sand by determined "trampers."After our hike we stopped for refreshments and perused a local sculpture gallery. We even considered staying the night to take a “moonlit” kayak tour, but the clouds were coming in, and we worried all we’d get was wet. Probably the right decision, as it started raining not long after we were on the road.
Mark had a challenge driving the camper through high winds and then a rainstorm into our final destination for the night—Murchison. We do not recommend the campground we stayed at—even if you’re desperate.Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Kaigas Camper van Tour 2009-South Island, New Zealand
9.3.2009 (Monday)
A short note on driving a manual transmission in NZ: This gives you one more distraction while you are trying to drive on the left side of the road. What are they thinking?!? This has not been that hard, but Mark keeps driving on the right in parking lots. The “Give Way” rule is truly crazy, and not looking forward to those intersections. Also, Mark is a little too big to be driving the van, as fifth gear comes pretty close to the steering column. Good times—but he handles it well.
The camper van is awesome. Drives pretty well, and it has a nice gas stove. Our first meal, you ask? We cooked up a nice dinner of pear salad with lamb in mint and bbq sauce. Lamb is quite delicious and affordable here. Mark has begun to grow wool.
Today we wrangled a camper van and started our mini holiday along the western shore of the South Island. It turns out this is peak season on camper vans, but we got lucky and found one in Nelson. A short and pretty bus ride led us to a great camper compliments of Ron and Rowena. It is a Mazda van with a high top that can be used as the third berth. It is just tall enough for Kathe, but Mark cannot quite stand up inside. Nelson is a very cute little town, and we are definitely planning on going up there again.
A short note on driving a manual transmission in NZ: This gives you one more distraction while you are trying to drive on the left side of the road. What are they thinking?!? This has not been that hard, but Mark keeps driving on the right in parking lots. The “Give Way” rule is truly crazy, and not looking forward to those intersections. Also, Mark is a little too big to be driving the van, as fifth gear comes pretty close to the steering column. Good times—but he handles it well.
The camper van is awesome. Drives pretty well, and it has a nice gas stove. Our first meal, you ask? We cooked up a nice dinner of pear salad with lamb in mint and bbq sauce. Lamb is quite delicious and affordable here. Mark has begun to grow wool.
The camper has everything that two people could want, except for the toilet. We drove to a camper park in Kaiteriteri from Nelson, and it is really nice. There is an absolutely beautiful beach right across the way, and they have nice amenities.
The photos above are of the beaches at sundown in Kaiteriteri. Tomorrow we will head out to explore Abel Tasman National Park, which is going to be quite an adventure.
Our first week in Blenheim, New Zealand
We enjoyed the free wine and food complements of Air New Zealand tremendously—with a 21 hour flight ahead of us, we truly enjoyed the amenities! Mark and I watched at least four movies each, and we both highly recommend “Slumdog Millionaire” if you haven’t yet seen it!
Our final flight into Blenheim landed in the midst of a torrential downpour—much to our chagrin, but it didn’t dampen our spirits a bit—WE ARE IN NEW ZEALAND! Yahoo! Bridget, an admin assistant for Delegat’s met us at the airport and took us to our home for the next 3 months.
We were among the last to arrive, and have learned that we have 11 people living in the house! I think this is what I worried about the most—what it’d be like to live with 10 other people, but so far it’s been great. There are 9 guys and 2 girls. There are 4 Americans, 2 Bulgarians, 1 guy from Scotland and 1 from Austria, a couple from France and our last housemate is from India. Great group. We get along well, share well and so far all seem to truly love cooking good food and the exploration for good wine.
Sunday we discovered that Blenheim has a Farmer’s Market—it’s awesome and we will go there every Sunday we can until it stops in winter. The artisan cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and herbs are like nothing we’ve experienced, even on the central coast—the food is remarkable. In addition, you can have a fruit crepe for breakfast or a farm-fresh egg omelet with Swiss chard and tomatoes. Mark and I both preferred the crepes—although you should see the color of the eggs here!
On Monday, we started work—an informational workshop held at the convention center. We got information on the winery, the wines, our training, and how to set up bank accounts in town. In the afternoon we were ‘fitted’ for our work uniforms and boots, and then enjoyed a tasting of the Oyster Bay wines we’ll be making for harvest.
Tuesday through Thursday were incredibly busy days spent in the winery. Mark headed for the lab, where he’ll be working, and I worked with a small group all week, training in the cellar. It was a busy week, and we all came home tired and anxious to learn what our final assignments for harvest will be. As it turned out, Mark and I were assigned the night shift—he’s working with a small team in the lab, and I’m working on the white cellar crew. From everything we’ve heard, it’s a lot of work, weird working at night, but with the right team, can be a lot of fun. We’ll be enjoying our ‘end of shift’ drinks at breakfast, and sleeping during the day, but I’m sure it will be great.
Other days of note this week:
Wednesday was Bulgaria night—a celebration of food and Brandy from Bulgaria to celebrate their independence from the Turks. Turned out to be a week-long celebration, but hey, who’s counting?
On Friday, we started later in the day for a tour of Delegat’s vineyards, followed by a White’s Bay BBQ, sponsored by our bosses. It was a great afternoon of the sun and sand. We played Rugby, Frisbee and Cricket. We ate a lot of BBQ, cooked by Barry and Ron. A great day indeed. Afterwards, the interns all met for drinks in Blenheim. We were an impressive mob, and while Mark and I turned in fairly early, we heard the celebration went into the wee hours.
We enjoyed the free wine and food complements of Air New Zealand tremendously—with a 21 hour flight ahead of us, we truly enjoyed the amenities! Mark and I watched at least four movies each, and we both highly recommend “Slumdog Millionaire” if you haven’t yet seen it!
Our final flight into Blenheim landed in the midst of a torrential downpour—much to our chagrin, but it didn’t dampen our spirits a bit—WE ARE IN NEW ZEALAND! Yahoo! Bridget, an admin assistant for Delegat’s met us at the airport and took us to our home for the next 3 months.
We were among the last to arrive, and have learned that we have 11 people living in the house! I think this is what I worried about the most—what it’d be like to live with 10 other people, but so far it’s been great. There are 9 guys and 2 girls. There are 4 Americans, 2 Bulgarians, 1 guy from Scotland and 1 from Austria, a couple from France and our last housemate is from India. Great group. We get along well, share well and so far all seem to truly love cooking good food and the exploration for good wine.
Sunday we discovered that Blenheim has a Farmer’s Market—it’s awesome and we will go there every Sunday we can until it stops in winter. The artisan cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and herbs are like nothing we’ve experienced, even on the central coast—the food is remarkable. In addition, you can have a fruit crepe for breakfast or a farm-fresh egg omelet with Swiss chard and tomatoes. Mark and I both preferred the crepes—although you should see the color of the eggs here!
On Monday, we started work—an informational workshop held at the convention center. We got information on the winery, the wines, our training, and how to set up bank accounts in town. In the afternoon we were ‘fitted’ for our work uniforms and boots, and then enjoyed a tasting of the Oyster Bay wines we’ll be making for harvest.
Tuesday through Thursday were incredibly busy days spent in the winery. Mark headed for the lab, where he’ll be working, and I worked with a small group all week, training in the cellar. It was a busy week, and we all came home tired and anxious to learn what our final assignments for harvest will be. As it turned out, Mark and I were assigned the night shift—he’s working with a small team in the lab, and I’m working on the white cellar crew. From everything we’ve heard, it’s a lot of work, weird working at night, but with the right team, can be a lot of fun. We’ll be enjoying our ‘end of shift’ drinks at breakfast, and sleeping during the day, but I’m sure it will be great.
Other days of note this week:
Wednesday was Bulgaria night—a celebration of food and Brandy from Bulgaria to celebrate their independence from the Turks. Turned out to be a week-long celebration, but hey, who’s counting?
On Friday, we started later in the day for a tour of Delegat’s vineyards, followed by a White’s Bay BBQ, sponsored by our bosses. It was a great afternoon of the sun and sand. We played Rugby, Frisbee and Cricket. We ate a lot of BBQ, cooked by Barry and Ron. A great day indeed. Afterwards, the interns all met for drinks in Blenheim. We were an impressive mob, and while Mark and I turned in fairly early, we heard the celebration went into the wee hours.
On Sunday, we joined Emmanuel and Marie, our French house-mates on a trip to Picton, near the Marlborough Sounds. It was an absolutely beautiful day. We hiked a bit, ate a bit and generally enjoyed ourselves. We also bought a BBQ—an elusive thing this time of year in NZ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)