Abbreviated Recap - New Zealand Trip

Our Flight to New Zealand

On Sunday, 24 Mar 96, we called the Hickam AFB AMC Terminal and learned there were five seats available for the 25 Mar/0855 C-141 flight to Christchurch. Monday morning, we awoke early and scrambled to the terminal. Fortunately, the five seats blossomed into 34 seats for space-available passengers. We were able to get on the flight, which meant two five-and-a-half hour flights with a two-hour stopover in Pago-Pago, Samoa. Having crossed the International Date Line, we arrived in the Christchurch International Airport on Tuesday evening, 26 Mar 96.

I was quite impressed with the service and hospitality of our C-141 crew members, who lavished us with remarkable box lunches and copious snacks of potato chips, soft drinks, and chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. However, having endured the long flights in C-141 sling seats (like stiff hammocks running along the sides of the fuselage), we were anxious to get a good night's sleep, so we could start our journey in the morning. We stayed in the guest quarters of the Naval Antarctic Support Unit (NASU).

Christchurch to Mt Cook

Wednesday morning, our rental car company picked us up at the guest quarters, and after filling out the appropriate paperwork, we were on our way to Mt Cook National Park. As we made our way South out of town, we turned on the radio, and immediately heard none other than Men At Work, an Australian music group that enjoyed amazing popularity in the U.S. in the early 80's. I tried to get accustomed to driving on the left-hand-side of the road (and driving from the right front seat), and Christine navigated. We enjoyed the round-abouts, which took the place of streetlights at smaller intersections. At a round-about toward the edge of the suburbs, Christine spotted a bakery on one of the "spokes" we had passed. We turned the car around, made our way to "Coupland's Bakery" and selected our first New Zealand meal. We had read that individual pot pies (sharing name only with their butchered American frozen food brethren), with a variety of fillings, were common meals for breakfast and lunch. At the bakery, we each picked out a few pies and were not disappointed: mine had Chicken and Camembert filling, and Christine's had lamb with curry and other spices.

Our drive to Mt Cook National Park took about six hours, as we stopped frequently to enjoy the beautiful scenery, including Lake Tekapo. We arrived at the park and checked into our room in the late afternoon. After spending some time in the Information Centre, we took two short hikes, both of which climbed through the forest and afforded views of Mt Cook. On Thursday morning, 28 Mar, we checked out and embarked on a four-hour (round-trip, or "return" as the Kiwis say) hike along the Hooker Valley. The hike was touted highly by our Fodor's guide, and it lived up to our expectations. Christine was a little skittish when we crossed the first suspension bridge, which was quite sturdily-constructed yet moved harmonically with each step. At the end of our hike was the Terminal Lake, fed by the head of the Tasman Glacier. The hike went further, but it was recommended for advanced climbers only (with helmets). [Our friends Cathy Coloff and Doug Verge would just be starting their hike at the point where we turned back.] On our hike back, a few of these hearty outdoorspeople (with limbs "bloodied and muddied") passed us like we were standing still.

Mt Cook with rapids in foreground

Christine and Curt on Hooker Valley Hike

Mt Cook to Queenstown

That afternoon, we drove South to Queenstown. The drive took us through some amazing scenery, especially through Lindis Pass, where the mountains looked like they were covered with soft green velvet. Before we got to Queenstown, we stopped at the Karawau Suspension Bridge, the birthplace of Bungy Jumping. I had long expressed a desire to bungy jump, but that bridge looked awfully high above the water. Christine watched a few jumpers before expressing a strong desire to leave. [I convinced her to stay for a few more, and I tried to envision our friend Hans Tinkler, who had jumped here twice last fall with Michelle looking on.]

Lindis Pass

We drove four kilometers past Queenstown to Trelawn Place, our Bed and Breakfast (B&B) perched on the edge of the Shotover River gorge. Our hosts, Nery and Michael, were working in the garden as we arrived. We didn't hesitate to accept their offer to put us in their stand-alone honeymoon cottage at no extra charge. That night we found The Cow, a pizzeria of some history on Cow Street. The pizza was pretty good, but we didn't yet realize how often we were going to eat pizza on this trip. Our discussions that evening focused on how to modify our itinerary. Nery had suggested that we not spend two nights (or even one) in Milford Sound as we had originally planned, so we decided to add a day in Kaikoura.

Friday morning I woke up to the smell of a wonderful breakfast Christine prepared. Our hosts had left us fresh eggs, bacon (more like ham), muesli, fruit, toast, and homemade jams, which Christine fashioned into a wonderful breakfast. We drove out to the Dart River, where we would take a jetboat ride. We left early--with " 'alf an hour up your sleeve" as Nery liked to say--but were surprised to find that much of the road was under construction. We were nervous about missing the launch of our expensive boat ride, so we exercised some rental car license over the 30-kmph speed limit dirty gravel road (my Grandaddy would have been proud). We made it in time and donned raincoats, lifevests, gloves, and hats for our ride.

The "jetboat" was invented in the Queenstown area, to maneuver in very shallow rivers. The jetboat is powered by a Ford V-8 engine and a directional water jet extending out above the water line. The jetboat starts in deep water, but within about 20 yards it picks up enough speed to raise it up out of the water enough that it can travel in riverbeds as shallow as 4".

Our guide, James, took us about 22 km upstream on the Dart River. He stopped a few times to discuss the history of the region, the flora and fauna, and the level of the river. We also had an unscheduled stop, as James beached our boat in a shallow area. After we and the other eight passengers rocked from side to side to free ourselves from the river bottom, James maneuvered the boat close to a dry spot, where we all got out and walked up to a spot closer to deeper water. James floated the boat down river, then found a way to get through the shallow areas to a place where we could reboard. The last few kilometers before the turn-around were marked by deeper waters and occasional boulders which James screamed past at very close distances.

At the turn-around point, we took a short hike through the forest to a magnificently clear lake. As we re-boarded the jetboat, James recommended we put away our camera, assuring us we would get wet on the return ride downstream. Going downstream, James demonstrated the jetboat braking system, which consists of a high-speed 360-degree turn-in-place, spraying water outward (and a fair amount into the boat as well). We also benefited from some one-upmanship adventure, as James and another jetboat driver struggled to race each other, to jet-spray the other, etc.

We set a more leisurely pace for our return drive to Queenstown. When we arrived, we spent some time wandering through the compact town center, which was dotted with interesting shops geared toward the outdoors and adventure activities. We bought a phone card and were able to readjust our reservations, moving everything up a day and adding a day in Kaikoura. The Skyline Gondola took us to a magnificent overlook of Quenstown and its surroundings. Back at the bottom of the mountain, we found a great restaurant, called Solera. Christine enjoyed her vegetable-stuffed mushrooms, and I had lamb.

Milford Sound

Saturday morning, 30 Mar, we woke up early and started our drive to Milford Sound, widely regarded as the scenic highlight of the country. As we entered Fjordland National Park, the pace slowed with the climbing and descending winding roads. Upon our arrival, we purchased insect repellant, as the notorious sandflys had already started to hassle us. We cruised the sound on The Wanderer and were exposed to spectacular views of mountains, hanging valleys (formed by glaciers), and waterfalls. It was quite interesting to hear how the rain forest grows on the sheer cliffs and how certain events (lightning, high winds, dead trees) can trigger "tree-valanches". Apparently the roots of the trees, shrubs, and ferns interweave extensively, and when one tree falls down, it can easily take its surrounding neighbors down with it. Over the course of a few decades, the rain forest re-establishes itself on these stripped patches of rock.

Milford Sound

Waterfall from Hanging Valley formed by glaciers

Te Anau

When we got back to Te Anau, we had dinner at the Redcliff Cafe, which turned out to be one of the best meals and best values. Christine had fish, and I had a wonderful lamb curry. Later that night, we took a half-hour boat ride to tour the Te Ana-au Glowworm Caves. As we entered the caves, we could see how the water had carved through the soft limestone to form the cave. The "glowworms" are actually insect larvae which spin dangling webs then attract their prey with their chemical glow.

Te Anau to Wanaka

Sunday was relaxing, as we backtracked to Queenstown and continued toward the South Island's West Coast. We stopped in Wanaka, taking time to do our laundry and to walk around the small town. After Christine studied some and I wrote some postcards, we walked to the Tuatara Pizza Company for dinner. After ordering at the bar and enduring a thirty minute wait with obtrusively blaring music, our dinner arrived. We chose a pizza adorned with smoked chicken, cranberries, and brie. It was quite an interesting combination, as the cranberries made for a nice tomato sauce substitute. [I'll have to convey this story to Kathy and Gary Vanatta, my relatives who grow cranberries in Wisconsin.]

The West Coast

After getting an early start Monday, 1 Apr, we meandered to the West Coast. We had seen some impressive postcards of the rocky, turbulent coast, but we were not afforded such nice views. The West Coast is renowned for its high rainfall levels, and our experiences were consistent with its reputation.

Christine and Curt Near Falls and Stream on Way to West Coast

The West Coast

In the mid-afternoon, we got to the Westland National Park, which is notorious for its 160 glaciers. The park's primary attractions are the Fox Glacier and the Franz Josef Glacier, the only glaciers in the world which cut through rain forest.

Recognizing that the weather might stay overcast for the next day, we hustled to take advantage of a glacier hike (which was leaving in ten minutes) while there was at least some visibility. Scott, our guide, fitted us with nub-nail boots to better grip the ice, then introduced us to the glacier using some large photographs. The glacier face is 100 meters high, and the glacier stretches seven kilometers back to the neve (head of the glacier), a 50 square kilometer snow and ice field which feeds the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.

Our excursion began with a bus ride to the parking lot near Fox Glacier. After an hour of vigorously paced hiking through steeply climbing forest, we reached the point where we would step onto the glacier. I had expected the surface of the glacier to be relatively smooth and flat, but as Scott had described, the surface rolled and undulated just as a river would. We spent about 40 minutes exploring the glacier. I must say I was getting exhausted watching Scott make stairs for us with his pick-axe. That night we ate at the Cone Rock Cafe, another order-at-the-bar, sit-down restaurant. Christine had a stroganoff dish, and I had venison pizza.

Christine and Curt on Fox Glacier

Tuesday morning, the weather was still overcast and rainy, but we had one more disappointment. We called to check on the flight we planned to take back to Hawaii. Much to our chagrin, we learned that the C-141 mission had been cancelled. We had hoped we were being victimized by a playful April Fool's joke, but to no avail. Consequently, we scrambled to make arrangements for a commercial flight back to Hawaii.

After making some phone calls to travel agents and airlines, we headed North to Franz Josef Glacier, where we had breakfast and drove to view the glacier face. On our way out of town, we found a nice craft shop, Ice Flow Arts, where we spent a good hour and a half deciding what mementos and gifts we wanted to bring back.

Arthur's Pass to Kaikoura

After shopping, we started our drive to Arthur's Pass, which cuts across the Alps of the South Island. We had been excited about the drive, as the Pass is supposed to be the most beautiful drive in the country. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. We could tell that the drive would be beautiful in clear weather, but it seemed as though the rain wouldn't let up for a long time. When we pulled into Arthur's Pass National Park, where we were supposed to stay, we agreed we should try to keep driving East. We were able to cancel our chalet room, and we drove on.

We were eager to get to Kaikoura after a long day's drive, but we couldn't pass up a detour to try what had been described as the best pies on the South Island. We struggled with our rental-car company map, but found our way to Hororata, and stopped at its pub. We ordered a few pies at the bar and put a 50-cent piece into a 3/4-size pool table (we would give it two more 50-cent pieces before we left). The pies were probably the best we tasted on our trip, but weren't so good to convince us they were the best on the island.

Kaikoura

After trailing numerous trucks on winding, dark roads, we arrived late Tuesday night at the appropriately named "BevRon House", in Kaikoura. Ron showed us our room and the rest of their house, which included a nice pool table. Christine would beat me the next four games (for a seven-game whipping streak) before I struck back with a mini-streak of my own.

Kaikoura

Kaikoura is becoming widely known for its eco-tourism, as the area is rich with wildlife. The first kilometer off shore is characterized by shallow, warm water. Then the ocean floor drops sharply to great depths and cooler water. Where these areas meet, the different temperature waters churn and make conditions condusive to high densities of phytoplankton, krill, and other delectables enjoyed by dophins and whales. Ron had just been out sailing a few weeks ago and saw numerous pods of dolphins, each numbering in the hundreds. Unfortunately, the whale- and dolphin-watching boat rides were cancelled due to gale force winds caused by a tropical storm North of New Zealand.

At breakfast Wednesday, 3 Apr, we both took the opportunity to experience vegemite, which we had heard sung hundreds of times (thanks to the aforementioned Men At Work). Bev and Ron explained that the Aussies and the Kiwis spread it on bread like Americans would spread butter or mustard. They warned us to spread it thinly, as it is salty, but I could not spread it thin enough. Two bites was enough for me.

Since whale-watching was not an option, Bev and Ron suggested we take a hike to the Seal Colony, where they explained you can get very close to the seals (just don't threaten them by going between them and the water--they wouldn't attack you, but they might run over you in their haste to get back to the safety of the water). Even from the parking lot, we spied seals lounging among the twisting, turning limestone shapes exposed by low tide. We explored the tide pools and a few birds, then started our hike to the colony.

Christine Exploring Tide Pools

The weather was sunny with alternating high wind and light rain, and we hiked about 45 minutes along the jagged coast. Up ahead was an interesting limestone formation; I jogged up to take a picture, back through the formation, of Christine, but froze when I startled (and was startled by) a group of three seals. The largest one inched its head off the ground to growl at me, but we were far enough away that it didn't make any other efforts. We slowly inched along the cliff face to a point far enough for them to be comfortable, but close enough for us to be awed.

Curt Resting With Some New Friends

Two Seals Playing

We spent about an hour and a half spellbound in that cove, watching, being watched, lounging, and taking pictures. We could see a tour group in wetsuits preparing to swim with the seals in the next cove. We climbed to the top of the cliff and returned along the cliffside trail--which at one point led through a sheep paddock--wishing we hadn't left our water in the car.

Akaroa

Thursday morning, when it was evident the Kaikoura whale-watching tours were still not sailing, we drove to Akaroa, a settlement with French roots on the Banks Peninsula. We pulled into our B&B, Glencarrig (pronounced Glenn-carry), and were greeted by the owner, who was working on his Ferrari. We walked around town for a few hours, concentrating on the craft shops for which the town is well-known. We also zipped over to a cheese factory, but it was their off-day. Returning to Glencarrig, we rested and wrote a few postcards before dinner.

Akaroa, Banks Peninsula

Our hosts had made dinner reservations for us at C'est La Vie, a seasonal restaurant which was closing for the fall a few days later. The restaurant had about five tables, and we had to walk outside to read the chalkboard menu offerings. The meal was the best of our trip. Christine's veal was great, and my rack of lamb melted in my mouth.

Christchurch

We left Akaroa early Friday morning, and we drove to Riverview Lodge, our B&B in Christchurch. Good Friday was not the optimal time to see the city, as most shops were closed. We concentrated our sightseeing efforts on the International Antarctic Centre, the Christchurch Cathedral, the Arts Centre, and Hagley Park (where we both tried our hand at our new boomerang).

We dined that evening at the very trendy Bardellis. The back of the pub was a red wall with about sixty large candles in a grid. Later, Christine explained to me that the wall was not red; we were looking at many years of red candle drippings. I figured this would be my last chance to enjoy lamb in New Zealand (I was wrong), and my piled-high lamb burger would have made Dagwood proud.

Christchurch to Honolulu

Saturday morning, 6 Apr 96, we woke early to meet our 7 am flight to Auckland. Our fellow passengers acted as Americans do on roller-coasters, with sound effects for takeoff, landing, and turbulence. The flight from Auckland to Honolulu was quite enjoyable as eight-and-a-half-hour flights go. The lunch entree was lamb; dinner, chicken curry. The service was extremely friendly, and the video programming lasted nearly the entire flight. We landed in Honolulu late Friday night, reminiscing and eagerly anticipating being able to share our memories and pictures with all of you.