Almost Finished!

It's hard to believe that our time in Australia is almost up, but in just a couple of weeks I will fly back to Birmingham and our Rotary Ambassadorial experience will have ended. It's a little sad to think about considering how much we have enjoyed our time in Sydney. But, before getting all sentimental, we wanted to briefly share what we've been up to lately.

Since returning from New Zealand, Callie has finished school and moved back to Birmingham in order to see her sister graduate from high school and be in a friend's wedding (in addition to trying to find a job and a place for us to live). Needless to say, Sydney isn't the same without her around, but for my part, things have been equally busy. I had assessments due every week, and now that exams have started and I'm trying to start packing up, there is plenty to keep me occupied. The Audi Winter Sailing Series has begun, so I have been sailing on the weekends, and I have several Rotary events to attend over the next couple of weeks.

Callie and I did have an opportunity to visit Canberra, Australia's capital, before she left. Canberra is about a 45 minute flight south of Sydney and was designed intentionally to be a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne so that neither could be the national capital. The site was originally a sheep station in outback New South Wales, but the city was designed by an American architect, Walter Burley Griffin. We arrived on Friday afternoon and spent the weekend enjoying the sights- from New Parliament House to the National War Memorial. To be quite honest, there is not really a lot to do in Canberra like there is in Sydney. But, the weather was nice and the trees were changing color and the city was quite lovely. We returned to Sydney on Sunday morning, and spent the afternoon with our host Rotary counselors having lunch in Pymble, one of Sydney's nice northern suburbs.

Other than that, the weather has been turning colder here, and there is even a rumor that some of Sydney's western suburbs toward the Blue Mountains could see some snow this weekend. As mentioned earlier, exams began last week. I had one final last Thursday, and I have the remaining finals next week. I should be moved out of our apartment next Thursday before flying home the following Monday, so things are really beginning to wind down. Before I leave, I will provide some more reflective comments about our experience in Australia, but for now, it's back to studying and packing.

"The Land of the Long White Cloud": Part VII

Following our time in Doubtful Sound, we made the drive back to Queenstown. Nestled beneath the Remarkable Range (appropriately named) and on the edge of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown is a beautiful alpine city known for its high adventure activities. From sky diving to "canyoning," Queenstown is an adrenaline paradise, and with Callie's reluctant permission, we decided to literally dive right in.

Roughly 150 feet above the Kawarau River is the home of the first commercial bungee location in the world (pictured above). Opened in 1988 by A.J. Hackett, the Kawarau Bridge has become a national icon as the home of bungee jumping in New Zealand. Granted, Callie was not nearly as excited about this opportunity as I was, but once she was convinced of the operation's impeccable safety, we decided that this would be a once in a lifetime experience. So, we got into our harnesses, they attached us to the bungee cord, and with a little extra encouragement for Callie, we jumped off together. It was an absolute rush, and I would certainly recommend it. Moreover, it inspired Callie to the point that, the next morning, we decided to run off the edge of a three thousand foot cliff above Queenstown to go paragliding. Now . . . for the reader out there who might be wondering as to our mental sensibilities, each of these activities is very safe and we never felt endangered in any way. In fact, we have videos that document our enjoyment.

Beyond the bungee jumping and the paragliding, Queenstown is full of other amazing things to do. We took the gondola up the mountain to do the luge, a paved track that you ride down on a cart (think MarioCart in real life). We also took a jetboat up the Dart River (pictured above) into the Mt. Aspiring National Forest and had a chance to see several of the filming locations for the Lord of the Rings series. We went hiking with a Maori guide, we had great food, and all in all, Queenstown may have been our favorite New Zealand city.

That being said, the trip as a whole was absolutely magnificent. Everywhere we drove, everywhere we looked there was something new and different and beautiful to see. From glaciers to fjords, from the coast to the plains, New Zealand had just about everything you might want to see in a natural landscape. The people were gracious, the wildlife was spectacular, and given the size of the country, everything felt accessible. Over just 10 days, Callie and I drove across the majority of the South Island and had an opportunity to really experience the country in a way that you certainly couldn't in a country the size of Australia. In the end, I told Callie that, of the places that I have been fortunate enough to travel to, New Zealand may have been my favorite. We loved every minute that we were there, and we are already thinking about when we can make it back.

"The Land of the Long White Cloud": Part VI

Leaving Wanaka early Thursday morning, we drove south through Queenstown to the small lakeside town of Manapouri on the edge of the Fiordland National Park. Fiordland is on the Southwestern corner of the South Island and is considered to be the most untouched and pristine wilderness in the country. We started our journey in Manapouri where we picked up a boat that took us across the lake to the Wilmot Pass where we took a bus into Fiordland. Interestingly, the road across the Wilmot Pass was the most expensive road ever built in New Zealand at the cost of $2 per centimeter, which for 22 kilometers is $4.4 million. While certainly expensive, what awaits on the other side is absolutely worth it. 

 

Once we came through the Wilmot Pass, the view opens up onto Deep Cove, the inner most section of Doubtful Sound (top picture). Doubtful Sound, however, is actually a misnomer. When Captain Cook (remember him?) sailed by in 1770, he mistakenly believed that the region was composed of flooded river valleys- or sounds- and thus named Doubtful and Milford Sounds incorrectly. Rather, as Fiordland National Park perhaps suggests, this areas is not made of sounds but fjords- deep cuts in the earth caused by retreating glaciers and then flooded by rising sea levels. As an aside, the name "Doubtful" comes from the fact that Cook doubted that he could enter the fjord due to the rocks guarding its entrance. But enough on the etymology of Doubtful Sound.

We boarded the Fiordland Navigator (pictured above), and despite the wet weather, spent the afternoon enjoying our surroundings. Fiordland gets about 5-7 meters of rain each year, so the rain is a little hard to avoid, but the weather did clear later in the afternoon. We went out in a tender craft to get close to the shoreline, we saw dolphins and seals, and we watched the sun go down on the Tasman Sea. After dinner in the evening, we attended a presentation on the ecological history of Fiordland, which was insightful and entertaining. We met some new friends from New Zealand, we played board games, and getting to be in such a immaculate wilderness was thrilling.

   
We spent the night on the boat, and in the morning, we returned to Deep Cove to begin our return journey. All in all, the fjords were spectacular (like New Zealand generally), and I'm not sure how you would get to see them up close to appreciate their grandeur unless you did what we did. The region is beautifully preserved, and let's hope that it remains that way for others to enjoy. Our next stop was Queenstown, the high adventure destination of New Zealand.

"The Land of the Long White Cloud": Part V

After leaving Fox Glacier, we drove South through the Mt. Aspiring National Forest to the small alpine town of Wanaka. Sitting on the shore of Lake Wanaka, the town of Wanaka, like much of New Zealand, is a destination for adventure enthusiasts. From skiing to fly fishing to sky diving, Wanaka is a beautiful town that reminded us of a resort community in the Rocky Mountains. We, however, did not have any high adventure plans for Wanaka. Instead, we spent our time walking around the lake, enjoying the town, and making new friends. We stayed in a small bed and breakfast called Maple Lodge, which is an appropriate name for such an establishment given the beautiful maple trees that grace the grounds. Run by a very nice couple who fled from England (I sympathize), Maple Lodge primarily caters to skiers during the winter. But, given that it was fall and a slow part of the travel season, we had the place to ourselves. 

 
Wanaka is home to the "Festival of Colours," an annual autumnal gathering to celebrate the arrival of fall in New Zealand. The poplars, oaks and maples were all turning and the countryside was absolutely spectacular. From the fall colors to the crisp breeze, it was like fall at home, and though we only had one day in Wanaka, it was well worth the time. The next day we were off to Doubtful Sound and the Fjordland National Park.   

"The Land of the Long White Cloud": Part IV

Well, Wilson neglected to mention our computer mis-haps of last week in his last post, but I think it is worth noting.  Basically, our hard drive decided it had been through enough and died last Monday night, but after a couple of days, we were up and running with a new one.  The only problem is, however, that all of the photo files that were extracted from our old hard drive are corrupt.  So, we don't have any photos from our actual trip to share with you, but we've tried to find a few on the Internet that depict our travels appropriately (because no one wants to read a blog without pictures).

Anyway, moving on with our journey.  From Christchurch we drove all the way from the east coast to the west coast via a scenic mountain route called Arthur's Pass.  The hairpin turns and steep inclines made me a little anxious in the dense fog and persistent rain, but Wilson and our little red Corolla hatchback delivered us to our destination at Fox Glacier safely.  After checking in at our hotel, we drove into Westland National Park to see the glacier from its base.  From the bottom, it was difficult to appreciate its immensity - it is 13 km long and up to 350 meters thick - but we were sure to get a better sense of it during our heli- hike the following morning.

After a short but magnificent helicopter flight over the Fox River Valley and the glacier itself, we landed on "Victoria Flat" about halfway up the glacier.  We were outfitted with crampons and walking sticks, taught to walk on the ice, and then we were off with our glacier guide for a hike.  We observed quickly that the glacier guide really had no plan for our journey - in fact, he hadn't been up on the glacier for several weeks, so he would just spot an interesting ice formation and go for it.  Apparently the surface of the glacier changes so quickly that a certain formation that existed one day might not be there the next.  So we tramped along in his path (some much faster than others) in order to crawl through an ice cave or view a "moulin," a deep and narrow crevasse formed by surface water.  After a couple of hours, we hopped back into the helicopter for our flight down, and upon landing, we agreed that it was one of the most incredible things we had ever done.

We couldn't miss the opportunity to visit Lake Matheson near the Fox Glacier township, so we made our way there for lunch and a bush walk through the rainforest.  Lake Matheson (below) was formed as Fox Glacier retreated and the climate warmed, and on a clear day it provides a beautiful reflection of Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman, the highest peaks in New Zealand.  From Lake Matheson, we proceeded south toward Wanaka, stopping at Thunder Creek Falls, where we met several recent graduates of SEC schools, including Georgia, Ole Miss, and Auburn.  As you can imagine, a War Eagle moment ensued - and it was much cooler than that one in the Birmingham Airport.

"The Land of the Long White Cloud": Part III

Let me apologize that it has been so long since our last New Zealand entry, but we had a little computer trouble this week that limited our ability to post. Now that we have fixed that problem, back to the trip. After leaving Kaikoura, the drive to Christchurch was about three hours to the south, but before entering the city, we stopped at the International Antarctic Center. Interestingly, Christchurch is considered "the gateway to Antarctica," as over 70% of all Antarctic expeditions leave from Christchurch. The Center itself was quite interesting. There were exhibits on the geology and biodiversity of the region, including a glimpse into the life of New Zealand's permanent scientific personnel that live at Scott Base. We got to experience an ice storm at -8 degrees Celsius and to see a group of the world's smallest penguins that are cared for by the center's staff. After enjoying the early afternoon in Antarctica, we drove into the city itself. 

Christchurch, founded in 1850, looks like a small city in the English countryside. The cathedral (pictured above) looks like it could have been the destination for Chaucer's pilgrims, and the architecture of the buildings properly belongs somewhere in the gothic period. Needless to say, it is a beautiful place . . . and that was just the buildings.

The Christchurch Botanical Gardens are some of the oldest in New Zealand and they are literally at the heart of the city. Unlike Adelaide, which is a city surrounded by green space, Christchurch is a giant green space with a city around the edge. The gardens are absolutely spectacular with giant poplars and pines and rows of dalhias and roses. Since it is now fall in the Southern hemisphere, the trees were changing color and kids were playing in the piles of leaves, and with a crisp breeze in the air, it felt like fall at home. 

  

As we wandered through the gardens and down by the river, our nostalgia gave way to a mild jealousy: we were both pretty envious that Christchurch has such a incredible place to enjoy. Honestly, I'm not really a garden person, but I found myself suddenly interested plants and trees because everything was beautiful. After walking around all afternoon, we enjoyed an early dinner and then drove to the Willowbank Wildlife Park for a Maori cultural experience and a kiwi tour.

Normally, I would confess that I'm not really a fan of manufactured cultural experiences, but the evening we spent with the Maori was unusually candid and meaningful. The Maori are originally from Polynesia and arrived in New Zealand between 800-1000 years ago. After crossing thousands of miles of open ocean in large war canoes, the Maori landed at a site just south of Christchurch. We learned about Maori social customs, traditional rituals, and even participated in the Maori hokey-pokey.  

Following our time with our Maori hosts, we took an evening tour of the Willowbank Wildlife Park. The reason the tour is at night is because the kiwi, a small flightless bird (pictured above) that is the symbol of New Zealand, is nocturnal. Waddling and stumbling awkwardly along the ground, the kiwi is an extraordinary creature, but like many of New Zealand's prized birds, it has been driven to near extinction by introduced species. Following our time at Willowbank, we returned to our hotel in the city under the assumption that we would be up early on a hot air balloon ride the next morning. However, the weather deteriorated overnight and we were unable to go. Disappointed but undeterred, we left Christchurch on our cross-country drive across the Southern Alps to the Eastern coast.

"The Land of the Long White Cloud": Part II

Once on board the Interislander, we made the 3 hour trip from Wellington on the North Island to Picton on the South Island, and in so doing, we passed through the Marlborough Sounds (pictured above). The Sounds protect the northern most end of the South Island and they reminded Callie of parts of Alaska: rugged and uninhabited. Once arriving in Picton, which is little more than a small fishing town that is also a terminal for the ferry, we picked up our rental car (a red Toyota Corolla hatchback) and made the drive to Kaikoura. We stopped in a little town called Blenhim for dinner, but since it was dark already, we could only make out the vague impression of our surroundings. The road was winding and narrow in places, but since I was already an expert on driving on the wrong side of the road (see the post on Adelaide and the Barossa Valley), we were able to arrive in Kaikoura without incident.

Kaikoura, literally meaning "crayfish" (lobster) in Maori, is a small resort town on the northeastern corner of the South Island and is famous for the abundant marine wildlife that inhabit the area. Again, we arrived late, so we weren't able to see anything, but when we woke the next morning, the picture above is what greeted us out our window. At this point, although Callie and I certainly had enjoyed Wellington, we instantly loved New Zealand and couldn't wait to see what else it had to offer. We stayed at a place called The Fairways at Ocean Ridge, which is a real estate development with a series of apartments that are rented out to tourists like us. We had breakfast in the morning and made our way into the town before our whale watching encounter after lunch.

 

The town of Kaikoura isn't much to write home about: there are some small retail shops and restaurants but not much else (although there was a 9 hole putt putt course that we did take advantage of). For the most part, Callie and I found ourselves looking at the snow-capped mountains and the deep-blue of the ocean. Callie said the color was like that crayon color "Cerulean"- if that is helpful. But people don't really come to Kaikoura to see the town, they come for the incredible marine life that lives along the coast. We visited a colony of NZ Fur Seals that lives at the south end of the town, and we were shocked to discover Blue Ferry Penguins alongside the road.  We have deer and possum (that's how they spell oppossum) on the side of the road in Alabama, but they have penguins on the side of the road in NZ. 

Anyway, we had planned to go out to see the Giant Sperm Whales that frequent the waters off Kaikoura in the afternoon, but since the whales were outside the tour's operating area, we took a Coastal Wildlife Tour instead. The reason the whales visit is because there is a 3,000 foot oceanic trench just a couple of hundred yards off the shore where warm equatorial waters mix with cold waters coming from Antarctica and thus provide an incredible volume of nutrients for sea life in the area. On our tour we saw fur seals, lots of sea birds- including the Wandering Albatross, which has the largest wingspan of any bird on the planet, and dusky dolphins. These dolphins travel in pods between 100-300, and they are very playful and sociable. The would do flips and jumps and one even seemed to have a great time splashing the people riding on the bow of our boat. While it was disappointing that we didn't get to see any of the whales, it was still a great opportunity to be close to some of New Zealand's incredible wildlife. 

    
After our time on the water, we returned to Kaikoura in time for dinner, enjoying the sun as it set across the mountains. The next morning was Easter, and we attended an early morning service at a small Anglican church where we lowered the average age of the congregation considerably. After church, we had a late breakfast and then headed south towards Christchurch, the "most English of cities outside England."