South Island Adventures Continued

Its amazing how much the temperature can change when you go to the mountains. We went from primarily shorts and t-shirt whether to bundling up in polypro and sweaters. We definitely had some gorgeous warm days in Arthur’s Pass but the nights were a temperature shocker, that’s for sure. It probably wasn’t even that bad considering the northeast at home, but im pretty acclimated to this climate now. :)

The mountains are stunning. I can’t imagine what they look like further south (Milford Sound area) but I hope I get the chance to go down there someday. I’m thinking that the footage from Lord of the Rings doesn’t do them justice.

We stayed at a student education center for the week, basically in the middle of nowhere, it was awesome. Literally surrounded on all sides by forest and mountains. I kept forgetting where I was and when I walked outside and saw a gigantic mountain, I pretty much had a heart attack. The views from the tops of a few hills were ridiculous. A hike I did up to the top of Lydon’s Saddle was beyond beautiful. We didn’t really know what to expect or how long it would take. The view was unbelievable and totally worth accidentally missing dinner for. Of course I forgot my camera, so I guess ill have to get pictures from other people again! The next morning I got up for the sunrise at the top of a different hill, SO GORGEOUS. The light that was cast on the clouds and mountains behind was spectacular. There was a valley where you could see the light come through and illuminate the mountains. So cool!

We spent the week learning about alpine ecology. We went on a ‘hike’, more of a walk, through the Otira Valley in Arthur’s Pass and worked on a few projects there. Absolutely stunning views. I definitely took a ton of pictures. On our way back to the center we stopped at a café that had the best hot chocolate EVER. It came in a huge glass mug and had layers. The bottom was coated in chocolate syrup with hot cocoa, the next layer was a creamy white layer of something and the top was more hot cocoa. And, if that weren’t enough, there was cocoa powder and caramel syrup on top. SO good.

We also went to a ‘luxury’ lodge to talk about ecotourism with the owner, but we basically got a short lecture, amazing scones and a cool walk around the forest where we ripped out Douglas fir trees. EcoQuest basically went on a rampage. 30 people, 1 hour, 10,000 fir trees gone. Booya. It was awesome and we all felt accomplished. The lodge was beautiful, like amazing. I recommend anyone coming to NZ to stay there. I wish we could have for the week. Oh! I almost forgot, they also have merino sheep there that they harvest wool from. We got to see a bunch huge rams which were really cool, they had huge twirly horns. We got to touch the wool and it was so unbelievably soft, now I know why it is so expensive.

We left Craggieburn Friday morning and drove to the west coast and up to Nelson. We made a cool lunch stop where we saw ‘pancake’ rocks (basically a bunch of layers in the rocks). They were cool and it was beautiful there too. Once we arrived in Nelson, each of the weekend groups dispersed to find our respective accommodations. It was really cool that everyone stayed in Nelson that night, it was awesome to go out with everyone, especially since there was a bday in the group. The hostel we stayed in was the best one yet. It was really nice, had free internet and laundry and he gave us our own rooms, instead of being split up and with random people like we thought we would be. Sweet deal.

That night we went out to a few bars and had a ton of fun. Im going to miss everyone when EcoQuest ends. :( I really like our group, everyone meshes well which is great.

The next morning was unbelievable. We went sky diving over Abel Tasman National Park. AHH!!! That morning was a bit hectic and we ended up being late to the sky diving place, but luckily it didn’t seem to be a big deal. But yeah, SKY DIVING!! As in I voluntarily jumped out of a plane. Actually, more like fell out attached to someone. I decided to go all out and get a video and pictures done. It was expensive but how many times am I going to get the chance/have the money to go sky diving? Much less in New Zealand. Im so glad I got them, they are really cool! The absolute best part was the 10-15 seconds of freefall, INTENSE. Falling at 120 mph. We kind of fell out and twisted backwards, so for a second or two I was falling backwards to the ground and facing the plane, it was wild. I highly recommend doing it if you ever have the chance/desire.

One of our EcoQuest instructors came with us, Liz., which was totally awesome. She did a high ropes course with some of us last weekend which was really fun. She’s afraid of heights, so her doing either of the two activities is pretty awesome, esp sky diving. She loved it though! The landscape was gorgeous and the plane ride over before the jump was cool. That was the smallest plane I have ever been in, as well as the closest I have ever been to people on a plane. There were 8 of us shoved in there, sitting on the floor without room to stand up or anything. Tiny!

I can’t really even explain the feeling of it, it doesn’t feel like you’re falling like you would imagine. More like floating, with a lot of wind involved. But you do feel completely out of control which is awesome and obviously slightly unnerving, but it’s all good.

Our plans for the rest of the weekend changed drastically. We literally went with it and decided to see what happened. Let me tell you, always go with the flow, awesome things happen for sure. We drove to Takaka and stayed at a DoC campsite in Abel Tasman. We had a really good night there and the next morning we decided to go on a walk to a cave, Harwoods Hole. Little did I know that this so called ‘hole’ was literally a giant pit in the ground. Like HUGE. Apparently it’s the largest cave in the southern hemisphere. You couldn’t see the bottom from any vantage point we could get too. Oh and there weren’t any bars or fencing to keep you from falling in. It was intense.

From there we decided to drive and see where we ended up. We stopped at a winery and met this awesome guy originally from Napa Valley. We talked to him for awhile, did some tastings and he recommended that we stay in Mapoua for the night. He suggested a brewery with the best Mexican food in NZ and a pizza place that has live music Sunday nights. We figured why not and went to a campsite that was right next to the beach! Awesome.

We went to the brewery first and, as it turns out, was closing. BUT they decided to serve us a drink anyways. We were sad about not getting to eat Mexican food, but right then, one of the owners came out and asked if we wanted food. She made us all burritos even though they were technically closed. SO GOOD. I miss Mexican food, that’s for sure. The two owners were also from California, we happened to meet a lot of Americans (or previous Americans) this weekend.

From there we decided to go to the pizza place that had live music and ended up getting a pizza to split. There was a singer/songwriter and she was really good. Great voice. It’s funny how much of an awesome night we had by just going with the flow, it was great. :)

Monday we went back to Nelson for the day since the weather turned sour. We ended up seeing Alice in 3D which was cool. Not a bad movie, but a couple things could have been changed or edited out. And the 3D wasn’t even comparable to Avatar, at all. It was a fun movie though and Jonny Depp is always awesome.

We also went to the Grape Escape, another winery, and the lady there gave us all sorts of tastings and free food. It was awesome. They had amazing dipping oils and dressings. So good! There was also this ice cream shop in Nelson called penguino, so obviously I had to go in. It turned out to be gelato and was really really yummy. Cheap too. After that we headed to Nelson Lakes National Park, first to Lake Rotoiti, and camped there. For some reason this whole weekend we lucked out on not paying or only partially paying for our campsites. Good thing since I spent a ridiculous amount of money on other things. The lake was gorgeous, mountains surrounding it on all sides. I went on a nice hike the next day for a couple hours. I love the forests here, so beautiful! Later that day we headed to the other lake, Lake Rotoroa. The only thing wrong with these lakes, and all of NZ biota in general, are sand flies. GAH! So bad at Nelson Lakes, but also at most beaches. They are basically mosquitoes that are always out. At least mosquitoes don’t really come out till dusk. I have so many bug bites; my feet look like I have chicken pox.

The next day we made our journey back to Nelson to meet up with everyone. It was a great weekend, very chill which was perfect.

We are now back at The Quest which is SO WEIRD! Donna is here though which makes it better (admissions head at UNH). I really wish we were still in the south island but it’s also good to be back I suppose. Lots of work coming our way though, booooo. Sorry for the length of this blog, the rest should be much shorter from here on out. I can’t believe there is only 5 weeks left. AH! Crazyness, it’s flying by.


Arthur's Pass


Sunrise in Craggieburn


Sunset in Abel Tasman


Harwoods Hole


In the plane!!




AHHHH!!


So awesome!



Fun Fact
A kiwi can be a fruit, bird or person. Be careful to differentiate when speaking.

Albatross. Seals. Dolphins. LOVE.

The South Island is referred to the South Islanders as the 'mainland', I now know why. It is absolutely amazing. Pretty much even before we got off the ferry it had the North Island beat. I was hesitant in believing anything could be better or more beautiful than what we have already seen and done, but it could and is. Holy Crap.

We left on the 7th for the long drive down to Wellington for out ferry the next day. Although the ride was 11-12 hours it really wasn't that bad. We passed through gorgeous scenery, as always, like the Tongariro National Park in Taupo. I am hoping to go back there and climb the volcanoes at some point when we return. We stayed at a 'top 10' holiday park that night that had the best playground ever. Now imagine, 25 young adults (who usually still wish/think/act like they are children) who have been cooped up in a van for 12 hours who are then presented with a playground. FABULOUSNESS. That's what that means. There was this huge bubble/blob thing that was kind of like a trampoline, except way harder and more fun to jump on. You could like catapult people. I'm pretty sure we popped it, or caused it to deflate rapidly...oops. It was really fun though.

The next morning we boarded the ferry. Biggest boat I've ever been on. Gigantic. As in rivalling cruise ship size. It had TEN (count them) 10 decks! Including, but not limited to, a cafeteria, bar, cafe, 2 lounge/observing areas with recliner seats, a 2-story playground, 2 movie theaters and an open top observational deck. All for a 3 hour ride...wow. The trip was gorgeous, especially coming into the Marlborough Sounds.

Once we arrived in Picton, we drove a few hours to Kiakoura. On the way we stopped on the side of the road and saw a tong of seals and pups. SO ADORABLE. I took a ton of photos and videos. The pups were so cute and it was ridiculously awesome.

In Kiakoura we were to stay at a marae for 4 days. Awesome opportunity. The location of the marae was amazing, between mountains and the beach. The mountains were huge and the beach was just a couple minutes walk. The marae itself was astonishing. We were welcomed in the customary fashion, as we did for the tangi in Kiawa, and sang our Waiata. We were then given a tour of the buildings. I cant express or explain the amazement we all had walking into the Wharanui. It was unbelievable. Every inch of the room is decorated with vibrant colors on wooden panel carvings. Each carving or sculpture tells a story. We briefly heard the stories and explanations of each panel. So amazing. Also, this is where we slept for the week. Is there a more awesome place to sleep? I think not. We laid on mattresses on the floor and were literally lined up next to each other, approx. 30 of us in one room. It was great. The beds were unbelievably comfortable too.

The first day we gardened a bit then went to Kiakoura's waste dump. Sounds unappealing but turned out to be really awesome. They have what they call 'innovative waste management' system for rubbish. So basically, everything that can be recycled is and all remaining rubbish is put into a landfill at the community members expense. So, if you dont go through your trash or just separate out what cant be recycled (very few things) then you have to pay for that weight in a landfill (~3 bucks per smallish trash bag). SO AWESOME. As in every place needs to do this. ~75% of their rubbish is diverted and they are working towards 85%. The dump does all separation of recyclables except glass, which they ask people to do beforehand. THey even compost green waste and food scraps. It basically made me think of everything the the US doesnt do, which is a huge fail. So everyone watch out, Im going to be a recycling freak when I get back. :) Be excited.

So that night we were informed that we were going to have a meeting after dinner. Usually this means boring procedural stuff so nobody really wanted to be there. However, after getting the news we got, we all may look at spontaneous meetings slightly differently from now on. We were told, in a calm, collected manner, that there was a good possibility that we would be swimming with dolphins the next morning...WHAT?!?! My jaw literally dropped to the floor and our instructors face in response to ours was great. We were told that there was a chance that we may not see any dolphins or even get on the boat if conditions weren't right. But oh were they right. Not only did we swim with dolphins, we swam with HUNDREDS of wild dolphins. HOLY CRAP!!!! My life is now complete, I am fairly sure.

They were dusky dolphins which are very well known for their acrobatics. They leap, jump, lunge, flip and twist in the air. SO RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING!!!! In the beginning we only saw a few, and after awhile we all were getting ready to accept the fact that it wasnt going to happen. Ten minutes later, the first group (I was in the second) were getting suited up to head in the water. We happened to come across a pod of the epic proportions. In total ~500 dolphins. OMG! It is so amazing how they follow along right underneath the bow of the boat. I cant even begin to explain everything that was happening. Groups of them would jump up together, one would do complete flips 3 times in a row...unbelievable. They were coming in from all directions, it was insane.

The first group was in the water while we watched from above. I was entirely jealous of them for awhile but I think our group got the better deal :) Thats just me though. By the time it was our turn, I was jumping out of my skin with enthusiasm, and as soon as they blew the horn I was in the water. We were told that the best ways to get the dolphins attention and hold their interest was to make noises through the snorkel, dive down or swim in a circle with them. Let me tell you, they all work. SO AMAZING! Right away they were coming up from below me and swimming past so fast. Making noises and swimming in a circle with them was usually the best way to go. This happened several times and I got a couple really cool videos (facebook videos at some point). Making eye contact was also unbelievably awesome.

My favorite part(s), however, was when I dove down. The first couple of dives were unsuccessful but then I realized I was slacking on the noises. The next time I dove down I had 2 dive with me and I started circling with them which was awesome. The next dive, however, was something I am still having a hard time believing myself. I happened to see a couple below me so i decided to dive down (still making noises) to see if they would play around. All of a sudden though, as soon as I dove, there were 7-10 dolphins circling around me. Legit. It was seriously exactly like the fish at Poor Knights I talked about, only dolphins...IT WAS SO COOL! As I said, literally unbelievable. I'm still waiting to wake up from that dream.

Shortly after that they had dispersed and we were called back onto the boat. We watched them flipping in the distance as they swam away. There were SO many of them. Apparently the pod was 800 dolphins. EIGHT HUNDRED DOLPHINS!

Since I haven't mentioned them yet, we also saw albatross and seals which were also really neat. The albatross were huge! apparently their wing span can reach 3m! That's a big seabird. We saw seals frolicking through the water being their normal cute selves.

But, back to the dolphins. Apparently one girl had a dolphin push her which made her swim really fast, so thats really awesome. Nobody can believe our luck though, even the company we were with was surprised. I guess we were the only group that was able to go out due to weather for the next couple days. Good freakin day, that's for sure. :)

Myself and a couple other people are now in Christchurch for the weekend, should be a lot of fun! :)

Warning: If you come to NZ, bring twice the amount of money you think you'll need. You spend more than you think, lol.


Ferry ride to the south island


Seal pups!!!


Amazing sunrise in Kiakoura


Jumping dolphins!




Only underwater photo I got. Water clarity not that great but the videos are pretty cool. :)


Peninsula walk we did one day


Pretty flowers

Fun Fact:
You usually don't have to wear shoes in any store/shop.

Say no to gold, yes to the environment.

Kia Ora! So I promise this blog will not be as long as the previous one, not even close. This week has been very much work oriented and now that my presentation is over, I have no motivation to study for my midterm tomorrow. Somehow I was very productive early in the week, thank goodness, I got my paper done by Tuesday morning. It helped that I happened to know my presentation was this week though. Speaking of presentation, mine was on rehabilitation after mining and it turned out to be pretty interesting. When the packets of reading were handed out for our groups, mine was 5 times the size of the other groups, typical. But the presentation went well and now I have the midterm to study for and a short journal/paper to write before we head off for the South Island. SO EXCITED!

We went to the Waihi gold mine this week which turned out to be fascinating, both good and bad ways. The day before we went to the mine a member of parliament for the Green Party came to talk to us about mining and mining companies. It was probably one of the best talks/discussions I have ever been to. She was so passionate about what she believed in, it was incredible. We watched a video that showed the Waihi mine in the 80’s, something significantly smaller than what we saw. It. Was. Huge. (pictures below) 85 ton trucks looked minuscule against the road of the mine that wound around. It was intense.

It’s kind of ridiculous how much gold mining is for jewelry. 85%....!!! Seriously? Not worth it.

After the mine we went to a gorge that used to be an old underground mine. They had a pathway that used to be one of the tunnels which was pretty cool to walk through. Hard to imagine people actually working in there for hours and hours a day. The gorge was beautiful though.

I guess I should go study. I don’t know if I will be blogging at all on the South Island so keep a lookout but don’t get your hopes up :-P If I don’t, I will be back in three weeks with a blog 5 times the size of last weeks most likely.

Fun Fact
The first person to hike Everest and a penguin are on the $5 bill. Great combo.