July 30, 2009
This is the end of my trip! It’s been a wonderful month down under but I’m definitely ready to be back home. There was frost outside of Raven’s house on the 28th and now it’s the 30th and it’s 104 degrees in Seattle. Yipes! That’s like a 70 degree jump. This’ll be interesting.
I got up, got ready and tried to be quiet because of the other occupant in my room. She was STILL asleep. She had gone to bed at 9 or earlier and was still in bed. I packed and got ready to check out at 10 and she was still asleep. I don’t know why it annoyed me so much but it did. I guess it’s because I hated being quiet the entire time. LOL. Anyway, I went to a cafe for breakfast and finally had kiwi french toast. Yummy! I then headed outside to wait for the bus to the airport. I was incredibly early but knew there wasn’t anything really worth doing in an hour so I waited for the bus. The bus came behind another bus and didn’t wait to pick up their passenger. The other bus driver honked at him, trying to get his attention but he wasn’t interested in stopping. It’s a good thing I was early! I waited 20 more minutes and this time I got on no problem. I headed to the airport, got my luggage, checked in and headed to the duty free area to buy more last minute stuff. I went through customs, which surprised me, and then waited for my gate to be called.
I had an aisle seat on the plane but it was in the middle row, being a 747. No one sat next to me or next to the guy on the other side of the middle row so we had two seats open between us. Score! I could actually lay out to sleep, not that I could sleep a lot. Really, nothing to report on the plane. LOL.
I landed in LA and went through customs. Raven had told me that she loves coming back to NZ because the customs agents say “Welcome home”. I’m happy to report that when I went through US customs, the agent said exactly the same thing to me! Yep, welcome home! No issues going through customs and the atmosphere felt so much better than 5 years ago when I came back to the US. I’m not sure if it’s just time passing after 9/11 or if it’s the change in administration or both but it was nice to not be made to feel like a criminal going back to the country. Yay! I had a 6 hour layover in LAX and headed back to Seattle. My dad picked me up at the airport, we went out for dinner and I headed back to Olympia where Chloe was waiting for me. I’m home!!!
July 30, 2009
This is the end of my trip! It’s been a wonderful month down under but I’m definitely ready to be back home. There was frost outside of Raven’s house on the 28th and now it’s the 30th and it’s 104 degrees in Seattle. Yipes! That’s like a 70 degree jump. This’ll be interesting.
I got up, got ready and tried to be quiet because of the other occupant in my room. She was STILL asleep. She had gone to bed at 9 or earlier and was still in bed. I packed and got ready to check out at 10 and she was still asleep. I don’t know why it annoyed me so much but it did. I guess it’s because I hated being quiet the entire time. LOL. Anyway, I went to a cafe for breakfast and finally had kiwi french toast. Yummy! I then headed outside to wait for the bus to the airport. I was incredibly early but knew there wasn’t anything really worth doing in an hour so I waited for the bus. The bus came behind another bus and didn’t wait to pick up their passenger. The other bus driver honked at him, trying to get his attention but he wasn’t interested in stopping. It’s a good thing I was early! I waited 20 more minutes and this time I got on no problem. I headed to the airport, got my luggage, checked in and headed to the duty free area to buy more last minute stuff. I went through customs, which surprised me, and then waited for my gate to be called.
I had an aisle seat on the plane but it was in the middle row, being a 747. No one sat next to me or next to the guy on the other side of the middle row so we had two seats open between us. Score! I could actually lay out to sleep, not that I could sleep a lot. Really, nothing to report on the plane. LOL.
I landed in LA and went through customs. Raven had told me that she loves coming back to NZ because the customs agents say “Welcome home”. I’m happy to report that when I went through US customs, the agent said exactly the same thing to me! Yep, welcome home! No issues going through customs and the atmosphere felt so much better than 5 years ago when I came back to the US. I’m not sure if it’s just time passing after 9/11 or if it’s the change in administration or both but it was nice to not be made to feel like a criminal going back to the country. Yay! I had a 6 hour layover in LAX and headed back to Seattle. My dad picked me up at the airport, we went out for dinner and I headed back to Olympia where Chloe was waiting for me. I’m home!!!
UPDATE: Oh my goodness, how could I forget to mention the flight from LAX to Seattle?! First of all, in my LONG layover I was getting close to boarding the plane when I looked over at the seats and saw a girl that looked a lot like one of my former students. Then I saw her twin. OMG, it was the Drama Twins!!! Joyce knows of whom I speak. They were in California with their mom and partner and they were very excited to see me. It was funny because they were freaking out saying "Are we really in California?! We're not in Shelton". Ha ha. THEN I got on the plane and while I was walking down the aisle I saw one of my favorite professors from HUC, Dr. Cutter. He was happy to see me and arranged so that I traded seats with someone so that I could sit next to him. It was a wonderful 2 1/2 hours talking with him. He said that the school sees it as one of its biggest failures that I left the program. Wow! He said that a lot of people assumed I'd be back after a leave of absence, including himself. There's no way I'd pursue that path again but it's nice to hear. Funny how no one from the college ever contacted me if they were so concerned about me leaving. He also asked me about my thoughts on our year in Israel. A few years ago, I may have sugar coated what I thought but not now. I told him exactly what I thought of my experience and he thanked me for my honesty. He really was one of my favorite professors in LA and I may have blogged a few years ago (it would have been in 2005) about when he took me to a Dodgers game and when he called my phone and left a message when he heard I was leaving. I should go back and reread the post because I seem to remember transcribing the message onto here. Anyway, it was strange to have my own students and my own professor on the same flight as I'm feeling very jet lagged and out of sorts but it was truly an amazing conversation and I was glad that I hadn't flown standby for an earlier flight.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Masterton to Auckland
July 29, 2009
This is the beginning of my journey back to the States. I woke up this morning, Raven had made breakfast and we got ready to leave for Wellington. She had an errand to run downtown so we were there much earlier than would otherwise be necessary. We drove to the Immigration office so that they could get permanent residence visas for their passports. We got into the office, sat there for a while waiting for our number to be called and I decided that I needed to get something from the car. I left Raven and went back downstairs chatting with this other girl on the way. She asked if I was immigrating to New Zealand. I said that I wasn’t but my friend was and she asked if I would want to move to New Zealand. I said I wouldn’t be opposed to it. LOL. On the way back from the car, I ran into Raven who was not happy. Apparently, in order to get the visas they need to fill out a form she didn’t know about. All the way to Wellington and all for naught. We went to give G the form that she would have to fill out, sat with her during her lunch hour and then headed over to Te Papa because I wanted to eat at One Red Dog and get their lamb salad one more time (OMG, it’s DELICIOUS). We found it and had that amazing salad and then headed out to the airport. Thank you, Raven, for being such an amazing host and making this trip so memorable!
I said goodbye to Raven and headed inside to see about getting my luggage to Auckland. I was worried because my luggage is within the limit for international but not domestic. Just like in the States, there is now a baggage fee for checking luggage and because I was not flying Air New Zealand to the States, only to Auckland, they wouldn’t waive the fee. Bastards. I checked my luggage and headed over to my gate. You don’t have to go through any security until you get to your gate and you’re boarding the plane. I thought those days were gone forever. We got on the plane, no problem. Flew to Wellington, no problem. Transfered to the International terminal no problem. Stored my suitcases overnight, no problem. Got on the shuttle to downtown, no problem. Checked into the backpacker... kept getting placed in a top bunk. The guy gave me four different keys before I got a room with a bottom bunk. If there are no other options, I can deal with it but there were other rooms available so I kept trying until I got the room I wanted. No one was in there yet so I took a bottom bunk, set down my stuff and headed out into Auckland. I decided on an easy evening so I went to the local movie theater, had dinner, book shopped and got a few last minute things before my flight the next day. I came back after the movie and there was another person asleep in the room. I grabbed my laptop and headed down to the main area. While I was online, I overheard this group of obnoxious backpackers, one of them American. The American was going on and on about how he doesn’t think that backpackers should allow people who are over 30 into them. Yes, us 30 somethings are really ruining his backpacker experience. *Grumble, snarl, young whippersnappers, growl* I was so annoyed and almost said something but then decided it wasn’t worth it. While fuming about this conversation, my laptop decided to give me the blue screen of death over and over again. I had it with that darn computer (I’m writing this from the States a few days late and I’m now typing on my new mac!!!). I paid to use the computers at the hostel and stayed up for a while before finally heading up to bed. My last night in New Zealand!
This is the beginning of my journey back to the States. I woke up this morning, Raven had made breakfast and we got ready to leave for Wellington. She had an errand to run downtown so we were there much earlier than would otherwise be necessary. We drove to the Immigration office so that they could get permanent residence visas for their passports. We got into the office, sat there for a while waiting for our number to be called and I decided that I needed to get something from the car. I left Raven and went back downstairs chatting with this other girl on the way. She asked if I was immigrating to New Zealand. I said that I wasn’t but my friend was and she asked if I would want to move to New Zealand. I said I wouldn’t be opposed to it. LOL. On the way back from the car, I ran into Raven who was not happy. Apparently, in order to get the visas they need to fill out a form she didn’t know about. All the way to Wellington and all for naught. We went to give G the form that she would have to fill out, sat with her during her lunch hour and then headed over to Te Papa because I wanted to eat at One Red Dog and get their lamb salad one more time (OMG, it’s DELICIOUS). We found it and had that amazing salad and then headed out to the airport. Thank you, Raven, for being such an amazing host and making this trip so memorable!
I said goodbye to Raven and headed inside to see about getting my luggage to Auckland. I was worried because my luggage is within the limit for international but not domestic. Just like in the States, there is now a baggage fee for checking luggage and because I was not flying Air New Zealand to the States, only to Auckland, they wouldn’t waive the fee. Bastards. I checked my luggage and headed over to my gate. You don’t have to go through any security until you get to your gate and you’re boarding the plane. I thought those days were gone forever. We got on the plane, no problem. Flew to Wellington, no problem. Transfered to the International terminal no problem. Stored my suitcases overnight, no problem. Got on the shuttle to downtown, no problem. Checked into the backpacker... kept getting placed in a top bunk. The guy gave me four different keys before I got a room with a bottom bunk. If there are no other options, I can deal with it but there were other rooms available so I kept trying until I got the room I wanted. No one was in there yet so I took a bottom bunk, set down my stuff and headed out into Auckland. I decided on an easy evening so I went to the local movie theater, had dinner, book shopped and got a few last minute things before my flight the next day. I came back after the movie and there was another person asleep in the room. I grabbed my laptop and headed down to the main area. While I was online, I overheard this group of obnoxious backpackers, one of them American. The American was going on and on about how he doesn’t think that backpackers should allow people who are over 30 into them. Yes, us 30 somethings are really ruining his backpacker experience. *Grumble, snarl, young whippersnappers, growl* I was so annoyed and almost said something but then decided it wasn’t worth it. While fuming about this conversation, my laptop decided to give me the blue screen of death over and over again. I had it with that darn computer (I’m writing this from the States a few days late and I’m now typing on my new mac!!!). I paid to use the computers at the hostel and stayed up for a while before finally heading up to bed. My last night in New Zealand!
Masterton
July 28, 2009
I woke up, got ready and went into Raven’s house to start my day. We didn’t have any definite plans but quickly went into town to stop at the pharmacy and run a few errands. While out, I mentioned my interest in seeing a kiwi school while I’m here. Raven called R and we looked in the phone book for schools. We called a school nearby and the secretary told me that the principal would call right back. Well, the principal did not call right back and I kind of gave up. R called back and said that his coworker knew the principal at another school and to give them a call. I did so and the principal took my call. He was very gracious and invited me to come to his school at 1 pm to meet him and get a tour of the school.
Raven dropped me off at the school and as promised, I met the principal and he told me about the school. It’s a public school and I think I remember him saying that it’s a high poverty school (well, the kiwi term for high poverty, anyway). I was so impressed by the school. He said that the staff and students all take ownership of the school and that it’s a tight knit group. They created their own vision a few years ago that I really liked.
So, this school lived their vision. I loved the habits and I heard teachers using them in their interactions with students. “Now Eddie, was that a peaceful action?” I loved it. I had 3 kids walking me around the school. They’re all grade 6, which seems to be 4-5 grade in the States. This is their final year at the school and they made a point of telling me that because of this fact, they didn’t have to wear uniforms. They called themselves counselors, which I guess means that they’re the leaders of the school. They plan social activities, organize the class garden and work on the radio station. The principal told me that the kids are taught how to think for themselves and work for what they want. He gave an example of a local company offering solar panels for 7 schools on the North Island. The kids decided that they wanted this and filled out the application themselves. The company came to the school and interviewed the students. The kids showed them around the school and answered questions. Not surprisingly, the school won the panels. While I was there, the 6th grade teacher took her kids outside to take a vote on where they wanted to put artwork that they were designing for the school. They were about to submit a proposal to the principal with permission to create this artwork, which was going to reflect the different cultures at the school. I got the email address of the teacher and we are hopefully going to have our kids write to each other via email next year. Yay!
After school, Raven picked me up and we went to Moore Wilson to buy some yummies to take back to the States. We then headed back to her house where I tackled my suitcases and she cooked dinner. I don’t know how it happened, but I had sooooo much stuff to take back with me. My lovely fantail iron coat hanger hanging wouldn’t fit into my suitcase so Raven said she’d bring it next time she’s here. I was really at a loss on how the stuff would fit when Raven brought out these vacuum bags she uses when she travels. They did the trick and with her help, I got most of my stuff into both of my suitcases. The rest fit into my carryon, phew!
Raven had been promising me a lamb shank dinner since I got to NZ and she did not disappoint. She made a wonderful feast and it was a terrific way to end my trip. After dinner their neighbor David came over and I got to meet him. He was hilarious. He is from the UK and listening to Raven and David in conversation was quite funny. It was a really nice evening.
I woke up, got ready and went into Raven’s house to start my day. We didn’t have any definite plans but quickly went into town to stop at the pharmacy and run a few errands. While out, I mentioned my interest in seeing a kiwi school while I’m here. Raven called R and we looked in the phone book for schools. We called a school nearby and the secretary told me that the principal would call right back. Well, the principal did not call right back and I kind of gave up. R called back and said that his coworker knew the principal at another school and to give them a call. I did so and the principal took my call. He was very gracious and invited me to come to his school at 1 pm to meet him and get a tour of the school.
Raven dropped me off at the school and as promised, I met the principal and he told me about the school. It’s a public school and I think I remember him saying that it’s a high poverty school (well, the kiwi term for high poverty, anyway). I was so impressed by the school. He said that the staff and students all take ownership of the school and that it’s a tight knit group. They created their own vision a few years ago that I really liked.
So, this school lived their vision. I loved the habits and I heard teachers using them in their interactions with students. “Now Eddie, was that a peaceful action?” I loved it. I had 3 kids walking me around the school. They’re all grade 6, which seems to be 4-5 grade in the States. This is their final year at the school and they made a point of telling me that because of this fact, they didn’t have to wear uniforms. They called themselves counselors, which I guess means that they’re the leaders of the school. They plan social activities, organize the class garden and work on the radio station. The principal told me that the kids are taught how to think for themselves and work for what they want. He gave an example of a local company offering solar panels for 7 schools on the North Island. The kids decided that they wanted this and filled out the application themselves. The company came to the school and interviewed the students. The kids showed them around the school and answered questions. Not surprisingly, the school won the panels. While I was there, the 6th grade teacher took her kids outside to take a vote on where they wanted to put artwork that they were designing for the school. They were about to submit a proposal to the principal with permission to create this artwork, which was going to reflect the different cultures at the school. I got the email address of the teacher and we are hopefully going to have our kids write to each other via email next year. Yay!
After school, Raven picked me up and we went to Moore Wilson to buy some yummies to take back to the States. We then headed back to her house where I tackled my suitcases and she cooked dinner. I don’t know how it happened, but I had sooooo much stuff to take back with me. My lovely fantail iron coat hanger hanging wouldn’t fit into my suitcase so Raven said she’d bring it next time she’s here. I was really at a loss on how the stuff would fit when Raven brought out these vacuum bags she uses when she travels. They did the trick and with her help, I got most of my stuff into both of my suitcases. The rest fit into my carryon, phew!
Raven had been promising me a lamb shank dinner since I got to NZ and she did not disappoint. She made a wonderful feast and it was a terrific way to end my trip. After dinner their neighbor David came over and I got to meet him. He was hilarious. He is from the UK and listening to Raven and David in conversation was quite funny. It was a really nice evening.
Kaikoura to Masterton
July 27, 2009
We woke up, had breakfast and packed up, ready to leave Kaikoura. We had a ferry to catch in Picton and a 2 hour drive ahead of us so we headed out and drove north. I had wanted to stop at some wineries while in NZ so we made a point of stopping at some wineries in Blenheim. We came across Montana Winery, the largest winery in New Zealand so we stopped. We walked in and one of the employees was walking out. She smiled at us and walked out the door. No one was in the wine tasting area, even though they had just opened. We walked around the shop for a little while, hoping that someone would come help us. Finally, the same lady came back in and seemed surprised that we hadn’t been served. Apparently, there was another employee that was supposed to be helping us. Anyway, she was very gracious and let me sample a bunch of their wines. They sell wine in the US under the label of “Brancott” because they don’t want to confuse people with Montana. Raven wasn’t impressed with the idea of wine tasting at 10 am so she let me try the wines on my own. Since I have already exceeded the booze quota I can bring back into the US, I didn’t buy any but I did take note of the label and I’ll be sure to look for their label at home.
We arrived in Picton pretty early and had over an hour before the deadline for check in. We went to the ferry terminal and it was still closed so we drove into the heart of the town to go get some lunch. After all, the ferry food is disgusting in New Zealand. We decided on a cafe based on liking the name (of course, I’m writing this a few days late so I can’t remember the name... something to do with dogs ... bad sign). It was not the best lunch I’ve had in NZ, that’s for sure. I ordered a sandwich with salad and asked about the dressing (learning my lesson in Kaikoura). Sure enough, they only had that icky mayonnaise dressing so I skipped the salad. Ew. They had a wall with a map of the world on it. New Zealand’s place on the map had a 1 inch hole where the country should have been because people kept putting in pins of where they’re from. There was room for Olympia, surprise, surprise.
We headed back over to the ferry gate and were still early but the gate was open so Raven handed the lady our reservation. The lady handed it back and waved us through to a specific lane. Raven commented that she didn’t give a ticket to us. I figured that might be normal since we had our printed reservation and she’d confirmed our reservation but Raven commented that we got a boarding pass on the way over. Well, after waiting in the car for an hour it was time to board and she was right about that boarding pass. The guy taking tickets said we needed one to board, called the lady, she confirmed that we did check in and then made us pull over to see if the boarding pass fell onto the floor. We insisted there wasn’t one, looked on the floor and told him. He then said to look around the car. UGH! THERE WASN’T ONE! He let us through and we hurried out of the car and onto the boat to search for a seat with an outlet. On the way to the South Island, we were on a different ferry, one that had tables with power outlets, much like the States. We were now on a fancier ferry, one without power outlets and lovely tables by the window. It even had an elite area where only those who pay $40 extra per person can go. Ugh. Well, we finally found an outlet and two French guys were using it. :( There were no other ones accessible on the ship. We sat above them on a loft and a little ways into the trip, I noticed that they had left for a bit. Raven and I moved down there, unplugged their computers (yes, we did. LOL) and took the table next to theirs. They soon came back and looked quite disgruntled until Raven told them that we could all share the power with her power strip. Much better. I walked around the ferry a bit and I really didn’t like it as much as I did on the way over. It is a fancier boat but I’m a northwest girl and I like the other ferry, which has a closer resemblance to the ferries in WA. It didn’t even have a good deck to go outside and take pictures from so I mostly sat at the table and worked on my computer with Raven. We got close to Wellington around 3 or so and noticed that we could already see the ferry dock but we were suddenly traveling at a snail’s pace and it took forever to get into Wellington. We arranged to meet up with G for dinner so we drove over to her work. We were a bit early so we walked over to a drugstore and looked at magazines for a while until it was time to meet her. We went out for Indian food at a place next to her office and had a good chat before saying goodbye and heading out to the Rimutaka, a crazy, windy road between Wellington and Masterton, where Raven lives. I personally think Raven has become a pro at these crazy, windy roads especially after the roads we’d been traveling on all month. We made it back to Masterton, unpacked the car and I called it a night, staying in the sleep out trying to figure out how I would repack all of the stuff I had bought.
We woke up, had breakfast and packed up, ready to leave Kaikoura. We had a ferry to catch in Picton and a 2 hour drive ahead of us so we headed out and drove north. I had wanted to stop at some wineries while in NZ so we made a point of stopping at some wineries in Blenheim. We came across Montana Winery, the largest winery in New Zealand so we stopped. We walked in and one of the employees was walking out. She smiled at us and walked out the door. No one was in the wine tasting area, even though they had just opened. We walked around the shop for a little while, hoping that someone would come help us. Finally, the same lady came back in and seemed surprised that we hadn’t been served. Apparently, there was another employee that was supposed to be helping us. Anyway, she was very gracious and let me sample a bunch of their wines. They sell wine in the US under the label of “Brancott” because they don’t want to confuse people with Montana. Raven wasn’t impressed with the idea of wine tasting at 10 am so she let me try the wines on my own. Since I have already exceeded the booze quota I can bring back into the US, I didn’t buy any but I did take note of the label and I’ll be sure to look for their label at home.
We arrived in Picton pretty early and had over an hour before the deadline for check in. We went to the ferry terminal and it was still closed so we drove into the heart of the town to go get some lunch. After all, the ferry food is disgusting in New Zealand. We decided on a cafe based on liking the name (of course, I’m writing this a few days late so I can’t remember the name... something to do with dogs ... bad sign). It was not the best lunch I’ve had in NZ, that’s for sure. I ordered a sandwich with salad and asked about the dressing (learning my lesson in Kaikoura). Sure enough, they only had that icky mayonnaise dressing so I skipped the salad. Ew. They had a wall with a map of the world on it. New Zealand’s place on the map had a 1 inch hole where the country should have been because people kept putting in pins of where they’re from. There was room for Olympia, surprise, surprise.
We headed back over to the ferry gate and were still early but the gate was open so Raven handed the lady our reservation. The lady handed it back and waved us through to a specific lane. Raven commented that she didn’t give a ticket to us. I figured that might be normal since we had our printed reservation and she’d confirmed our reservation but Raven commented that we got a boarding pass on the way over. Well, after waiting in the car for an hour it was time to board and she was right about that boarding pass. The guy taking tickets said we needed one to board, called the lady, she confirmed that we did check in and then made us pull over to see if the boarding pass fell onto the floor. We insisted there wasn’t one, looked on the floor and told him. He then said to look around the car. UGH! THERE WASN’T ONE! He let us through and we hurried out of the car and onto the boat to search for a seat with an outlet. On the way to the South Island, we were on a different ferry, one that had tables with power outlets, much like the States. We were now on a fancier ferry, one without power outlets and lovely tables by the window. It even had an elite area where only those who pay $40 extra per person can go. Ugh. Well, we finally found an outlet and two French guys were using it. :( There were no other ones accessible on the ship. We sat above them on a loft and a little ways into the trip, I noticed that they had left for a bit. Raven and I moved down there, unplugged their computers (yes, we did. LOL) and took the table next to theirs. They soon came back and looked quite disgruntled until Raven told them that we could all share the power with her power strip. Much better. I walked around the ferry a bit and I really didn’t like it as much as I did on the way over. It is a fancier boat but I’m a northwest girl and I like the other ferry, which has a closer resemblance to the ferries in WA. It didn’t even have a good deck to go outside and take pictures from so I mostly sat at the table and worked on my computer with Raven. We got close to Wellington around 3 or so and noticed that we could already see the ferry dock but we were suddenly traveling at a snail’s pace and it took forever to get into Wellington. We arranged to meet up with G for dinner so we drove over to her work. We were a bit early so we walked over to a drugstore and looked at magazines for a while until it was time to meet her. We went out for Indian food at a place next to her office and had a good chat before saying goodbye and heading out to the Rimutaka, a crazy, windy road between Wellington and Masterton, where Raven lives. I personally think Raven has become a pro at these crazy, windy roads especially after the roads we’d been traveling on all month. We made it back to Masterton, unpacked the car and I called it a night, staying in the sleep out trying to figure out how I would repack all of the stuff I had bought.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Kaikoura
July 26, 2009
I woke up this morning and jumped out of bed to look out the window. I’ve been so excited to see the view of Kaikoura as it was one of my highlights the last time I was here. I don’t want to give the impression that I stayed out of bed, nor that I was awake because Raven would be the first person to tell you that I’m a delusional liar. I slowly got up and lazed around in my room, as did Raven as we knew we didn’t have any pressing plans. We decided to secure our rooms for one more night and see if we might be able to book a sea kayaking trip, which is something I’ve wanted to do this entire trip. The receptionist called for us and made a booking for 2 pm. Woohoo! We sauntered down to the kitchen, had a leisurely breakfast and were getting ready to wash dishes when a German girl came up to us in a panic because she was supposed to be at her whale watching trip and the cab didn’t show up. Raven kindly gave her a ride and while she did that, I cleaned up and went outside to take pictures of one of my favorite places on this planet.
When Raven returned, we got into the car and drove down to the center of town so that we could walk along the beach. We parked and walked to the beach, which is filled with little pebbles. There was a steep hill on the beach so we stomped down on the rocks and found our way down. We walked closer to the water and we listened for the rain stick sound that I love so much. The beach didn’t disappoint and we stood there mesmerized by the rain stick sound the water made when the water receded. We took pictures of seagulls, beach, mountains and waves and it was glorious. Kaikoura is hugged by gorgeous snowcapped mountains and it really dominates the town so it’s easy to get good pictures. We walked along the beach for a while, noticing that as we walked along, the rocks got smaller and smaller until they turned to sand. Also, the rain stick sound faded as the rocks got smaller. We saw three more oyster catchers (this was the third time on this trip and they’re actually a rare species) and took pictures of them and the seagulls and then headed back towards the car.
Time had flown by while we’d been on the beach and we had about an hour or so before our kayaking trip so we decided to get a quick bite to eat. I wanted to go to the Cray Pot, which is a restaurant that I went to and loved last time I was here so we went. I ordered a tomato and basil soup and a side salad. Sounds harmless enough. Ew! The salad had some nasty, sweet mayonnaise dressing on it, which I wouldn’t touch and the tomato soup was SWEET. Again, EW! Raven had also ordered the soup and we thought it was awful. Putting lots of salt in it helped a lot but it was not what we’d been hoping for. We didn’t eat all of it and were full enough for kayaking. We walked around the shops for a bit so that I could pick up a couple of items and then headed back to the hostel to get ready for kayaking. I had brought a bunch of clothes for precisely this purpose and was very happy to be able to make use of them. We got ready and at 10 minutes until 2, the kayaking people showed up so we went down and headed out.
Our guide Matty picked us up and told us that we were going to head out to the South Bay because the conditions were best for us there. This was good because that was where I wanted to go when the trip was described to us. We drove out to the beach (very close by) and got out the kayaks. Since Raven and I had gone kayaking numerous times he didn’t have to spend a lot of time talking about how to ride in a kayak. We decided who would be in front and who would be in back, took the kayaks down to the water (they’re heavy buggers) and got in. We had to quickly paddle out away from shore and our guide would meet us out in the open water because there were a lot of rocks in the water. Our guide directed us to the open water and we experienced the enormous swells on the water as we paddled to the sea. We gave the rocks a wide berth and we could see the water crashing against the rocks so we were happy to do so. We then paddled closer towards the edge of the inlet so we could see the seal colonies. We got close to shore and had to maneuver between two large groups of rocks, again with crashing waves so that we could get close to the seals. Yep, they were seals. I took pictures but I wasn’t that excited about seeing a bunch of seals, since I can see them in Washington as well. The guide was talking about them and we think he was running out of things to say because he started rambling on about the mountains. LOL! We headed back out and were going to go to the tip of the inlet when we all noticed a large spray of water in the distance and big boats racing towards it. It was a whale! Our guide got incredibly excited and asked if we wouldn’t mind going to see the whale instead of more seals. Hell yeah! He said for us to paddle like our lives depended on it so we huffed and puffed and puffed and huffed our way out into the middle of the bay, watching spouts blowing out water all over the place in the distance. Our guide was far ahead of us and had my camera (because he was going to take pictures of us in the kayak) and we kept paddling after him, noting that our stomach muscles were getting a serious workout. As we were coming closer, maybe 40 feet in front of us, two whales emerged, a mother and her calf! OMG! We all shouted and cheered because it was one of the most incredible experiences ever. They were RIGHT THERE! We watched them spout water and saw their humps. The whales went back down and we saw whales in the distance still spouting and I was wondering if there were any whales right under me. We took off the other direction, hoping to see the whales come closer. That mother and baby had indeed gone under us and came out on the other side. The whale boats came careening after the whales again and we were all making a mad dash to see the whales again. We had decided that they’d gone and were about to head back to shore when the whales appeared again! We hightailed it back towards the seal colony and saw the whales spout a few more times. The guide took a video of one of the whales with my camera as well as some video and pictures of me and Raven on our kayak. The guide was so excited by what we had seen (as were we). He said that seeing whales in the bay is incredibly rare and has only happened once this entire year. It was so much fun and so incredibly awesome. They are such beautiful creatures and being on the kayaks, we could hear the sound of the water bursting from the blow holes. It was just incredible. We finally did have to head back towards shore and did so slowly. We reached shore right before sunset and packed up the kayaks to head back into town.
When we got back to our rooms we briefly talked about dinner. For some reason, I was really craving steak so we decided to go out to eat. The woman downstairs in reception recommended “The Green Dolphin”, which turned out to be the perfect place. The steak was very yummy and we topped it off with dessert (cheesecake for me, creme brulee for Raven, not to mention wine (for me) and cider (for Raven). It was such a wonderful way to end an incredible day. It’s just been one of those days!
I woke up this morning and jumped out of bed to look out the window. I’ve been so excited to see the view of Kaikoura as it was one of my highlights the last time I was here. I don’t want to give the impression that I stayed out of bed, nor that I was awake because Raven would be the first person to tell you that I’m a delusional liar. I slowly got up and lazed around in my room, as did Raven as we knew we didn’t have any pressing plans. We decided to secure our rooms for one more night and see if we might be able to book a sea kayaking trip, which is something I’ve wanted to do this entire trip. The receptionist called for us and made a booking for 2 pm. Woohoo! We sauntered down to the kitchen, had a leisurely breakfast and were getting ready to wash dishes when a German girl came up to us in a panic because she was supposed to be at her whale watching trip and the cab didn’t show up. Raven kindly gave her a ride and while she did that, I cleaned up and went outside to take pictures of one of my favorite places on this planet.
When Raven returned, we got into the car and drove down to the center of town so that we could walk along the beach. We parked and walked to the beach, which is filled with little pebbles. There was a steep hill on the beach so we stomped down on the rocks and found our way down. We walked closer to the water and we listened for the rain stick sound that I love so much. The beach didn’t disappoint and we stood there mesmerized by the rain stick sound the water made when the water receded. We took pictures of seagulls, beach, mountains and waves and it was glorious. Kaikoura is hugged by gorgeous snowcapped mountains and it really dominates the town so it’s easy to get good pictures. We walked along the beach for a while, noticing that as we walked along, the rocks got smaller and smaller until they turned to sand. Also, the rain stick sound faded as the rocks got smaller. We saw three more oyster catchers (this was the third time on this trip and they’re actually a rare species) and took pictures of them and the seagulls and then headed back towards the car.
Time had flown by while we’d been on the beach and we had about an hour or so before our kayaking trip so we decided to get a quick bite to eat. I wanted to go to the Cray Pot, which is a restaurant that I went to and loved last time I was here so we went. I ordered a tomato and basil soup and a side salad. Sounds harmless enough. Ew! The salad had some nasty, sweet mayonnaise dressing on it, which I wouldn’t touch and the tomato soup was SWEET. Again, EW! Raven had also ordered the soup and we thought it was awful. Putting lots of salt in it helped a lot but it was not what we’d been hoping for. We didn’t eat all of it and were full enough for kayaking. We walked around the shops for a bit so that I could pick up a couple of items and then headed back to the hostel to get ready for kayaking. I had brought a bunch of clothes for precisely this purpose and was very happy to be able to make use of them. We got ready and at 10 minutes until 2, the kayaking people showed up so we went down and headed out.
Our guide Matty picked us up and told us that we were going to head out to the South Bay because the conditions were best for us there. This was good because that was where I wanted to go when the trip was described to us. We drove out to the beach (very close by) and got out the kayaks. Since Raven and I had gone kayaking numerous times he didn’t have to spend a lot of time talking about how to ride in a kayak. We decided who would be in front and who would be in back, took the kayaks down to the water (they’re heavy buggers) and got in. We had to quickly paddle out away from shore and our guide would meet us out in the open water because there were a lot of rocks in the water. Our guide directed us to the open water and we experienced the enormous swells on the water as we paddled to the sea. We gave the rocks a wide berth and we could see the water crashing against the rocks so we were happy to do so. We then paddled closer towards the edge of the inlet so we could see the seal colonies. We got close to shore and had to maneuver between two large groups of rocks, again with crashing waves so that we could get close to the seals. Yep, they were seals. I took pictures but I wasn’t that excited about seeing a bunch of seals, since I can see them in Washington as well. The guide was talking about them and we think he was running out of things to say because he started rambling on about the mountains. LOL! We headed back out and were going to go to the tip of the inlet when we all noticed a large spray of water in the distance and big boats racing towards it. It was a whale! Our guide got incredibly excited and asked if we wouldn’t mind going to see the whale instead of more seals. Hell yeah! He said for us to paddle like our lives depended on it so we huffed and puffed and puffed and huffed our way out into the middle of the bay, watching spouts blowing out water all over the place in the distance. Our guide was far ahead of us and had my camera (because he was going to take pictures of us in the kayak) and we kept paddling after him, noting that our stomach muscles were getting a serious workout. As we were coming closer, maybe 40 feet in front of us, two whales emerged, a mother and her calf! OMG! We all shouted and cheered because it was one of the most incredible experiences ever. They were RIGHT THERE! We watched them spout water and saw their humps. The whales went back down and we saw whales in the distance still spouting and I was wondering if there were any whales right under me. We took off the other direction, hoping to see the whales come closer. That mother and baby had indeed gone under us and came out on the other side. The whale boats came careening after the whales again and we were all making a mad dash to see the whales again. We had decided that they’d gone and were about to head back to shore when the whales appeared again! We hightailed it back towards the seal colony and saw the whales spout a few more times. The guide took a video of one of the whales with my camera as well as some video and pictures of me and Raven on our kayak. The guide was so excited by what we had seen (as were we). He said that seeing whales in the bay is incredibly rare and has only happened once this entire year. It was so much fun and so incredibly awesome. They are such beautiful creatures and being on the kayaks, we could hear the sound of the water bursting from the blow holes. It was just incredible. We finally did have to head back towards shore and did so slowly. We reached shore right before sunset and packed up the kayaks to head back into town.
When we got back to our rooms we briefly talked about dinner. For some reason, I was really craving steak so we decided to go out to eat. The woman downstairs in reception recommended “The Green Dolphin”, which turned out to be the perfect place. The steak was very yummy and we topped it off with dessert (cheesecake for me, creme brulee for Raven, not to mention wine (for me) and cider (for Raven). It was such a wonderful way to end an incredible day. It’s just been one of those days!
Dunedin to Kaikoura
July 25, 2009
Today was a travel day so there probably isn’t much to say about it. We met A this morning at 8 am, had breakfast and then headed over to the Dunedin Farmers Market downtown. It’s much smaller than Nelson’s market but it was wonderful. It had about three rows of vendors to walk through and explore. We loaded up again on goodies to take with us on our travels, including creamy cheeses, sausage, fresh bread and taboulli (random, I know). We then dropped A off at her work and said our goodbyes before heading over to Baldwin Street. Baldwin Street has the distinction of being the steepest street in the world. Raven has gone up it in her car before but we weren’t feeling quite as adventurous so we took pictures from the bottom instead. We then left Dunedin and headed north. We had an original goal of reaching Kaikoura from Dunedin. If you look at a map of the South Island in New Zealand you’d see that Dunedin is far to the south and Kaikoura is up north. As we went along we started to wonder if this was a good idea or not.
We drove north and I really wanted to see the big boulders at Moeraki. They are these big, round balls of stone scattered in the sand. I’ve seen lots of pictures of them and here was my big chance to take pictures as well. We parked at the lot and started walking along the beach. It was a gorgeous day so the sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We noticed a bunch of shells that we hadn’t seen in other parts of New Zealand so we beach combed a bit and stuck some shells in my pocket. We then approached the rocks and began to take pictures. Every time I would try to take a picture the same guy kept walking in view of the picture. It was uncanny. I may be on the other side of the rocks but somehow he’d find his way into the shot. Raven had me climb into a broken boulder and took a picture of me. I was close to getting my foot stuck in it. That would have been cute.
After exploring the beach we took the advice of the guidebook and went to a restaurant called Fleur’s Place, which specializes in seafood. Raven had the seafood chowder and I decided to be brave and have the NZ specialty of green lipped mussels. Mmm. It was a very cute little restaurant and the food was superb. It was well worth the stop into Moeraki.
When we got back into the car we realized that it was already after 2 pm and we were only an hour or so outside of Dunedin. We were really, really far away from Kaikoura and decided to play it by ear and see where we ended up. I was fretting a little bit because I really wanted to go sea kayaking in Kaikoura but we just played it by ear. We finished the last couple of CDs from Harry Potter and were out of audio books by the time we made it to Christchurch. Raven was apprehensive because we were arriving in Christchurch around 5 and she didn’t want to get stuck in rush hour traffic. Except, it was Saturday so all was well! To entertain ourselves since we were out of Harry Potter, we started singing cheesy camp songs. It was really funny. We then played the alphabet game, except we got stuck on the letter J. You get really creative when you don’t have any more books on tape!
We did make it into Kaikoura and it was about 8 pm when we arrived. We drove to the YHA and got out of the car. We walked up to the door and looked through the window, noticing that the gate to reception was closed. Uh oh. We decided to get back into the car and call them to see if there was any way we could make a reservation. Raven called and the woman answering asked if we’d tried the door. She was there the whole time and didn’t we feel stupid for not trying to open it. LOL. We settled in, had a light dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening, quite pleased that we made it from Dunedin to Kaikoura in one day.
Today was a travel day so there probably isn’t much to say about it. We met A this morning at 8 am, had breakfast and then headed over to the Dunedin Farmers Market downtown. It’s much smaller than Nelson’s market but it was wonderful. It had about three rows of vendors to walk through and explore. We loaded up again on goodies to take with us on our travels, including creamy cheeses, sausage, fresh bread and taboulli (random, I know). We then dropped A off at her work and said our goodbyes before heading over to Baldwin Street. Baldwin Street has the distinction of being the steepest street in the world. Raven has gone up it in her car before but we weren’t feeling quite as adventurous so we took pictures from the bottom instead. We then left Dunedin and headed north. We had an original goal of reaching Kaikoura from Dunedin. If you look at a map of the South Island in New Zealand you’d see that Dunedin is far to the south and Kaikoura is up north. As we went along we started to wonder if this was a good idea or not.
We drove north and I really wanted to see the big boulders at Moeraki. They are these big, round balls of stone scattered in the sand. I’ve seen lots of pictures of them and here was my big chance to take pictures as well. We parked at the lot and started walking along the beach. It was a gorgeous day so the sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We noticed a bunch of shells that we hadn’t seen in other parts of New Zealand so we beach combed a bit and stuck some shells in my pocket. We then approached the rocks and began to take pictures. Every time I would try to take a picture the same guy kept walking in view of the picture. It was uncanny. I may be on the other side of the rocks but somehow he’d find his way into the shot. Raven had me climb into a broken boulder and took a picture of me. I was close to getting my foot stuck in it. That would have been cute.
After exploring the beach we took the advice of the guidebook and went to a restaurant called Fleur’s Place, which specializes in seafood. Raven had the seafood chowder and I decided to be brave and have the NZ specialty of green lipped mussels. Mmm. It was a very cute little restaurant and the food was superb. It was well worth the stop into Moeraki.
When we got back into the car we realized that it was already after 2 pm and we were only an hour or so outside of Dunedin. We were really, really far away from Kaikoura and decided to play it by ear and see where we ended up. I was fretting a little bit because I really wanted to go sea kayaking in Kaikoura but we just played it by ear. We finished the last couple of CDs from Harry Potter and were out of audio books by the time we made it to Christchurch. Raven was apprehensive because we were arriving in Christchurch around 5 and she didn’t want to get stuck in rush hour traffic. Except, it was Saturday so all was well! To entertain ourselves since we were out of Harry Potter, we started singing cheesy camp songs. It was really funny. We then played the alphabet game, except we got stuck on the letter J. You get really creative when you don’t have any more books on tape!
We did make it into Kaikoura and it was about 8 pm when we arrived. We drove to the YHA and got out of the car. We walked up to the door and looked through the window, noticing that the gate to reception was closed. Uh oh. We decided to get back into the car and call them to see if there was any way we could make a reservation. Raven called and the woman answering asked if we’d tried the door. She was there the whole time and didn’t we feel stupid for not trying to open it. LOL. We settled in, had a light dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening, quite pleased that we made it from Dunedin to Kaikoura in one day.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Dunedin
July 24, 2009
Ah, lovely Dunedin. We got up, got ready and went out to pick up A and her boyfriend Nick. We went to a cafe in the Octagon (town center) called Nova and sat and chatted for quite a while. A and I got to watch Raven grill Nick, which was pretty entertaining. We dropped Nick off and went onto campus to see the museum.
Dunedin is definitely a college town. Its big school is Otago University and it really has the feel of a college town. The museum has a bunch of local art and a kids area complete with a butterfly exhibit. We of course had to go see the butterflies. We walked through the displays talking about butterflies and then walked in, armed with our cameras. It was so hot and humid in there that my camera lens immediately fogged over. I had to keep wiping the lens in order for my pictures to show up. As with most butterfly exhibits, there were butterflies flying everywhere. Raven was hoping that a butterfly might fly into my hair or A’s so that she could get a picture. No such luck as each time a butterfly flew at my hair, I kind of panicked (it’s that moth thing). I thought one was on my jeans and jumped into the air. It turns out it was my belt sticking out. A thought my reaction was very funny. We walked along the different levels of the butterfly house and when we got to the bottom we saw a cage with an incredibly fat, 7 headed bird. WTF? It turns out it was a finch that was carrying all of its babies around on in its feathers. It was so strange. A few minutes later, it must have tired of piggy back rides because they were hoping around near her.
We looked around for a while and then A and Raven left to take A to a lecture somewhere on campus. I had an hour or so to kill so I wandered the butterfly exhibit some more. I had planned on checking out the rest of the museum but I was restless so I went to the gift shop and then the coffee shop instead and people watched. I then walked over to the bookstore and browsed, happy to explore. I waited there until A was done with her lecture and we got back into the car and headed out for lunch. I’ve been so bad on this trip foodwise. I’m afraid to step back on the scale when I get back. Oops. Anyway, we went out for Thai food. A and Raven love Phad Si Yew (spelling, sorry) and haven’t been able to find a good one in NZ. It’s funny the things one takes for granted at home that are so impossible to find elsewhere.
I imagine that this part of my entry will be quite boring. Maybe I’ll spare everyone the details and say that we ran some errands, we dropped A off at work and I shopped on my own until 5:30 or so when I met up with A and Raven again. OK, I should mention where A works. She has an atypical retail job. She works at a place called Coco Bella, which I saw while we drove down the street and thought it was an Italian restaurant. Um, I was a bit off. It’s actually an upscale sex toy shop, selling a variety of dildos and lingerie. It was quite entertaining and educational getting A’s tour of the shop.
We went back to Nova, the cafe we’d gone to for breakfast and almost didn’t get in because we didn’t have a reservation. While wandering on my own I’d seen that the Dunedin Film Festival was starting that evening so we perused the pamphlet and found a movie we thought might be worth seeing. It was called “An Education” and it was a good movie. Basically it’s about a 16 year old girl in England in the 1960’s who gets involved with a 40 year old man. It was well done and we thought we’d made a good choice.
Ah, lovely Dunedin. We got up, got ready and went out to pick up A and her boyfriend Nick. We went to a cafe in the Octagon (town center) called Nova and sat and chatted for quite a while. A and I got to watch Raven grill Nick, which was pretty entertaining. We dropped Nick off and went onto campus to see the museum.
Dunedin is definitely a college town. Its big school is Otago University and it really has the feel of a college town. The museum has a bunch of local art and a kids area complete with a butterfly exhibit. We of course had to go see the butterflies. We walked through the displays talking about butterflies and then walked in, armed with our cameras. It was so hot and humid in there that my camera lens immediately fogged over. I had to keep wiping the lens in order for my pictures to show up. As with most butterfly exhibits, there were butterflies flying everywhere. Raven was hoping that a butterfly might fly into my hair or A’s so that she could get a picture. No such luck as each time a butterfly flew at my hair, I kind of panicked (it’s that moth thing). I thought one was on my jeans and jumped into the air. It turns out it was my belt sticking out. A thought my reaction was very funny. We walked along the different levels of the butterfly house and when we got to the bottom we saw a cage with an incredibly fat, 7 headed bird. WTF? It turns out it was a finch that was carrying all of its babies around on in its feathers. It was so strange. A few minutes later, it must have tired of piggy back rides because they were hoping around near her.
We looked around for a while and then A and Raven left to take A to a lecture somewhere on campus. I had an hour or so to kill so I wandered the butterfly exhibit some more. I had planned on checking out the rest of the museum but I was restless so I went to the gift shop and then the coffee shop instead and people watched. I then walked over to the bookstore and browsed, happy to explore. I waited there until A was done with her lecture and we got back into the car and headed out for lunch. I’ve been so bad on this trip foodwise. I’m afraid to step back on the scale when I get back. Oops. Anyway, we went out for Thai food. A and Raven love Phad Si Yew (spelling, sorry) and haven’t been able to find a good one in NZ. It’s funny the things one takes for granted at home that are so impossible to find elsewhere.
I imagine that this part of my entry will be quite boring. Maybe I’ll spare everyone the details and say that we ran some errands, we dropped A off at work and I shopped on my own until 5:30 or so when I met up with A and Raven again. OK, I should mention where A works. She has an atypical retail job. She works at a place called Coco Bella, which I saw while we drove down the street and thought it was an Italian restaurant. Um, I was a bit off. It’s actually an upscale sex toy shop, selling a variety of dildos and lingerie. It was quite entertaining and educational getting A’s tour of the shop.
We went back to Nova, the cafe we’d gone to for breakfast and almost didn’t get in because we didn’t have a reservation. While wandering on my own I’d seen that the Dunedin Film Festival was starting that evening so we perused the pamphlet and found a movie we thought might be worth seeing. It was called “An Education” and it was a good movie. Basically it’s about a 16 year old girl in England in the 1960’s who gets involved with a 40 year old man. It was well done and we thought we’d made a good choice.
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