Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Camera update!
I am happy to report that my camera has mostly recovered from having a foggy lens, and some non-functioning buttons! It now has a clear lens and all expect one of the buttons seem to be working as usual. It has been like a reliable travel buddy since the beginning and I was so relieved when it cleared up that I thought it deserves it's own post - especially since it's the reason I have so many great pictures to post on this blog!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Four Levels of Sheep
I try to avoid overly commercialized areas and tourist traps when I travel in an effort to see past the stereotypes of the places I visit. Sometimes those stereotypes are hard to ignore however, especially when they are literally staring you in the face. Mere minutes after boarding the ferry from Wellington to the South Island - the official beginning of my travels in New Zealand - I gazed down from the passenger deck to the car deck to see two truck-loads, stacked four levels high each, of sheep. It seems that even in the middle of a city I was unable to argue the fact that New Zealand does have many, many sheep. It's probably not something I would see on the BC Ferries crossing from Victoria to Vancouver.
Stereotypes or not, I have gotten off to a good start to my travels in NZ and I am excitedly looking forward to a hopefully adventure-filled next few months. Sad as I was to say goodbye to Wellington, I was ecstatic to be on the road again, and the first day did not disappoint with a beautiful sunny day for the ferry crossing to Picton. Traveling with my new travel buddy, Griffin from North Carolina, we camped the first night in Picton before continuing on to Nelson. I found out that night that it can be a little bit hard to sleep in a tent in high wind. The next night was a little wet as well so we took shelter in a Nelson hostel and slept on real mattresses, but it was worth the extra few dollars for the free breakfast and the use of the hot tub!
I met Griffin through the find-a-companion section of the HelpX website (see my links section), which is seemed a good place to start for me since I wanted to meet other travelers who were open to work exchanges and couch surfing. Luckily Griffin was, and we found ourselves some couchsurfing hosts a little ways outside Nelson for the following few days. Possibly my best couchsurfing experience to date, staying with Pieter and Raewyn gave us a chance to learn and see more of the surrounding area than we ever would have on our own, and also included the highlight of meeting Larry the sheep. Happily going against any sheepish stereotypes, Larry sounded more like a cow, acted like a dog and ate like a horse.
After enjoying good company and some localy grown and made food and drink at Raewyn and Pieter's, Griffin and I went for a day hike in the understandably popular Able Tasman National Park. In order to avoid backtracking and get the most out of our day we took the water Taxi out to Bark Bay and hiked back to where we started. The park has very well-groomed walking tracks so it wasn't too taxing, and especially since we just had light day packs we made good time and were able to take a relaxing lunch break including a dip and a nap at one the park's many pristine beaches. Even with a nap in the middle, at the end of the nearly 24 km walk we both agreed it might be a nice idea to check back into the same hostel we were at before (the deciding factor being the hot tub).
Originally I had expected to travel with Griffin for a few weeks, but as is usual when traveling, plans change. Griffin had also been my transportation up to that point since we were getting around in his car, so on hearing he was thinking of staying in the area a little longer than I was keen on I had to start thinking of other ways to get around. Fortunately, in one of those fate-must-be-smiling-on-you kind of moments, my first night in Nelson I met Anna from Switzerland, who was heading in more or less the direction I wanted to go in and was also happy to share her ride. (Aside from the company, ride-sharing is also a bonus for the driver because it means they have someone to split the gas bill with.) So all I needed to do was wait a couple days in Nelson for Anna to get back into town, and before long I was on the road again this time heading to Christchurch via a detour to Punakaiki on the West coast.
I am really glad I ended up traveling with Anna, the company was great it gave me a chance to see the west coast much sooner than I thought I’d be able to. Punakaiki and the surrounding area was stunning. While the area is famous for the “Pancake Rocks”, I was more take with the rain forest which seems much more lush and exotic than the Canadian west coast, and the massive, jungle-covered cliffs that were so close to the shoreline that in many places all there was room for between them and the ocean was a narrow two-lane road. (From what I have seen so far, that is generally what passes for a highway around here, and many of the bridges are just one lane only).
One of the best things about New Zealand is that after a couple of hours of driving, and often less, the climate and geography can change so much it’s easy to imaging you just time traveled to a different season or skipped over to another continent. It felt a bit like that when an hour or so after leaving the lush and majestic west coast we stopped in the rural town of Reefton, which was warm and windless, surrounded mostly by farmland. Their claim to fame is that they were the first town in the southern hemisphere to have electric street lights… apparently it a was a busy place back in the days of the gold rush but at the moment it’s more of a nice place to stop for coffee at a picturesque café, and a good opportunity for me to teach Anna the meaning of the English word “quaint”. (The stream below was our picnic spot for lunch that day - you can see we had all the right supplies).
On our way out of Reefton we picked up a hitch-hiker – an Italian with a Londoner’s accent when he speaks English, quite an entertaining combination – and he kept us entertained right through to Hanmer Springs. Hitch hiking in New Zealand seems to be a fairly common way of getting around… maybe it’s because of the unusually hospitable and friendly locals, but I have already met a number of travelers (and locals) who’ve hitched rides successfully, and will very likely end up doing the same eventually. Meanwhile, back in Hanmer Springs Anna, Jack (and shortened and anglisized version of our hitcher’s name) and I indulged in the hot springs the place is names for. It was enjoyable at the time but now I am worried it may prove to be the downfall of my ever-reliable and to this point indestructible camera. It’s still mostly working but it seems to have lost some of its waterproofness causing some glitches. I am quite dismayed because it’s been like a trusty travel companion for over two years, and while I could make do with another for these last few months of my travels, it just wouldn’t be the same. Hopefully there is a camera repair shop somewhere in this country that can save it – especially since in little more than a week I am going to be doing one of the most scenic hikes in the world, the Milford Track.
Anyway, camera issues having not surfaced yet, I continued with Anna, sans Jack now, towards Christchurch, and we enjoyed our last day of travel together by taking our time to stop at the beach, an art shop and for a picnic on the way. As it turned out, our timing matched quite well, since I didn’t need to be in Christchurch until the day after we were due to arrive, so we could take our time throughout the whole drive, stopping to enjoy the view and play on every tire swing, every tire swing, slide and merry-go-round we could find. It would have been nice to continue with Anna to the seaside town of Akaroa, but I had other people to meet so said goodbye to my Swiss travel buddy in Christchurch, and organized myself for the next part of my trip… but that’s for the next post!
P.S. Thanks, Anna, for the pictures I used from your camera - I would have put one up of me on the tire swing but you still have those ones so I hope you don't mind I put one up of you! :)
Stereotypes or not, I have gotten off to a good start to my travels in NZ and I am excitedly looking forward to a hopefully adventure-filled next few months. Sad as I was to say goodbye to Wellington, I was ecstatic to be on the road again, and the first day did not disappoint with a beautiful sunny day for the ferry crossing to Picton. Traveling with my new travel buddy, Griffin from North Carolina, we camped the first night in Picton before continuing on to Nelson. I found out that night that it can be a little bit hard to sleep in a tent in high wind. The next night was a little wet as well so we took shelter in a Nelson hostel and slept on real mattresses, but it was worth the extra few dollars for the free breakfast and the use of the hot tub!
I met Griffin through the find-a-companion section of the HelpX website (see my links section), which is seemed a good place to start for me since I wanted to meet other travelers who were open to work exchanges and couch surfing. Luckily Griffin was, and we found ourselves some couchsurfing hosts a little ways outside Nelson for the following few days. Possibly my best couchsurfing experience to date, staying with Pieter and Raewyn gave us a chance to learn and see more of the surrounding area than we ever would have on our own, and also included the highlight of meeting Larry the sheep. Happily going against any sheepish stereotypes, Larry sounded more like a cow, acted like a dog and ate like a horse.
After enjoying good company and some localy grown and made food and drink at Raewyn and Pieter's, Griffin and I went for a day hike in the understandably popular Able Tasman National Park. In order to avoid backtracking and get the most out of our day we took the water Taxi out to Bark Bay and hiked back to where we started. The park has very well-groomed walking tracks so it wasn't too taxing, and especially since we just had light day packs we made good time and were able to take a relaxing lunch break including a dip and a nap at one the park's many pristine beaches. Even with a nap in the middle, at the end of the nearly 24 km walk we both agreed it might be a nice idea to check back into the same hostel we were at before (the deciding factor being the hot tub).
Originally I had expected to travel with Griffin for a few weeks, but as is usual when traveling, plans change. Griffin had also been my transportation up to that point since we were getting around in his car, so on hearing he was thinking of staying in the area a little longer than I was keen on I had to start thinking of other ways to get around. Fortunately, in one of those fate-must-be-smiling-on-you kind of moments, my first night in Nelson I met Anna from Switzerland, who was heading in more or less the direction I wanted to go in and was also happy to share her ride. (Aside from the company, ride-sharing is also a bonus for the driver because it means they have someone to split the gas bill with.) So all I needed to do was wait a couple days in Nelson for Anna to get back into town, and before long I was on the road again this time heading to Christchurch via a detour to Punakaiki on the West coast.
I am really glad I ended up traveling with Anna, the company was great it gave me a chance to see the west coast much sooner than I thought I’d be able to. Punakaiki and the surrounding area was stunning. While the area is famous for the “Pancake Rocks”, I was more take with the rain forest which seems much more lush and exotic than the Canadian west coast, and the massive, jungle-covered cliffs that were so close to the shoreline that in many places all there was room for between them and the ocean was a narrow two-lane road. (From what I have seen so far, that is generally what passes for a highway around here, and many of the bridges are just one lane only).
One of the best things about New Zealand is that after a couple of hours of driving, and often less, the climate and geography can change so much it’s easy to imaging you just time traveled to a different season or skipped over to another continent. It felt a bit like that when an hour or so after leaving the lush and majestic west coast we stopped in the rural town of Reefton, which was warm and windless, surrounded mostly by farmland. Their claim to fame is that they were the first town in the southern hemisphere to have electric street lights… apparently it a was a busy place back in the days of the gold rush but at the moment it’s more of a nice place to stop for coffee at a picturesque café, and a good opportunity for me to teach Anna the meaning of the English word “quaint”. (The stream below was our picnic spot for lunch that day - you can see we had all the right supplies).
On our way out of Reefton we picked up a hitch-hiker – an Italian with a Londoner’s accent when he speaks English, quite an entertaining combination – and he kept us entertained right through to Hanmer Springs. Hitch hiking in New Zealand seems to be a fairly common way of getting around… maybe it’s because of the unusually hospitable and friendly locals, but I have already met a number of travelers (and locals) who’ve hitched rides successfully, and will very likely end up doing the same eventually. Meanwhile, back in Hanmer Springs Anna, Jack (and shortened and anglisized version of our hitcher’s name) and I indulged in the hot springs the place is names for. It was enjoyable at the time but now I am worried it may prove to be the downfall of my ever-reliable and to this point indestructible camera. It’s still mostly working but it seems to have lost some of its waterproofness causing some glitches. I am quite dismayed because it’s been like a trusty travel companion for over two years, and while I could make do with another for these last few months of my travels, it just wouldn’t be the same. Hopefully there is a camera repair shop somewhere in this country that can save it – especially since in little more than a week I am going to be doing one of the most scenic hikes in the world, the Milford Track.
Anyway, camera issues having not surfaced yet, I continued with Anna, sans Jack now, towards Christchurch, and we enjoyed our last day of travel together by taking our time to stop at the beach, an art shop and for a picnic on the way. As it turned out, our timing matched quite well, since I didn’t need to be in Christchurch until the day after we were due to arrive, so we could take our time throughout the whole drive, stopping to enjoy the view and play on every tire swing, every tire swing, slide and merry-go-round we could find. It would have been nice to continue with Anna to the seaside town of Akaroa, but I had other people to meet so said goodbye to my Swiss travel buddy in Christchurch, and organized myself for the next part of my trip… but that’s for the next post!
P.S. Thanks, Anna, for the pictures I used from your camera - I would have put one up of me on the tire swing but you still have those ones so I hope you don't mind I put one up of you! :)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Seasons
Seasons have change since I last posted. I tend to forget about blogging when I am living in once spot for an extended amount of time since I am not technically "traveling". But I am still living overseas, and I still experience daily challenges and wonders I would not were I back at home, even if I have grown so used to them they are just part of life.
There are some things that you just learn to live without. Those spur of the moment, unexpectedly long phone calls with friends or family, for instance. Time zones tend to cut down on spontaneity since conversations must often be planned in advance. There are people I could call here, but with the cost of using a mobile phone, which is all I have, I may as well just meet them. Or it's just the end of a long day and no one but your best friend or mom will do, only it's three o'clock in the morning back home so you can't in good conscious give them a ring, no matter how much you want to. Sometimes it's a hard balance to meet, when time limitations can mean having to choose between spending time with people here or getting in touch with someone at home.
As a perpetual traveler I also have to be perpetually planning ahead financially. I suppose this is true for most people who like to live with some amount of security, it's just all slightly more... exciting... when running out of money means being stuck in a country with not enough funds to buy a plane ticket before your visa expires, or relying couchsurfing.org to not let you down when even hosteling is not an option any more. Oddly enough, despite the occasional moment of extreme stress, the fact that I am still alive and well and exactly where I want to be has reinforced in me a sort of relentless optimism. In my experience, even when the situation seems bleak and things are just not working out like you wanted them to, if you make an effort to keep at it the world will give back and you will make it through somehow. Call it Karma, getting what you give, a guardian angel or just being resourceful or persistent, but there is always way for things to come together rather than fall apart.
There are also plenty of small wonders waiting for me in any new place I live. I get to see the season change in a whole other environment (and thank goodness they finally are, I might add, summer cannot come soon enough!). When friends invite me for a weekend trip just outside the city, I get to walk through forests and landscapes I've never seen before. A plain old walking track is a fun adventure for me, even if the people I'm with don't know what a toque is and have never heard the childhood road-trip songs I know so well. On any given day I might meet someone who gives me insight into a different way of living, a different culture, or just a different outlook on life. And in Wellington in particular you are always likely to run into, (or be run into by), interesting, beautiful, and sometimes plain weird works of art.
My time in Wellington is coming to a close soon, however, since in a few weeks I will be resuming my title of nomad to travel the rest of the country. In the mean time, I still have a job here and will need to wake up for it tomorrow so as much as I would like to continue this much needed catch up, I should probably get some sleep.
There are some things that you just learn to live without. Those spur of the moment, unexpectedly long phone calls with friends or family, for instance. Time zones tend to cut down on spontaneity since conversations must often be planned in advance. There are people I could call here, but with the cost of using a mobile phone, which is all I have, I may as well just meet them. Or it's just the end of a long day and no one but your best friend or mom will do, only it's three o'clock in the morning back home so you can't in good conscious give them a ring, no matter how much you want to. Sometimes it's a hard balance to meet, when time limitations can mean having to choose between spending time with people here or getting in touch with someone at home.
As a perpetual traveler I also have to be perpetually planning ahead financially. I suppose this is true for most people who like to live with some amount of security, it's just all slightly more... exciting... when running out of money means being stuck in a country with not enough funds to buy a plane ticket before your visa expires, or relying couchsurfing.org to not let you down when even hosteling is not an option any more. Oddly enough, despite the occasional moment of extreme stress, the fact that I am still alive and well and exactly where I want to be has reinforced in me a sort of relentless optimism. In my experience, even when the situation seems bleak and things are just not working out like you wanted them to, if you make an effort to keep at it the world will give back and you will make it through somehow. Call it Karma, getting what you give, a guardian angel or just being resourceful or persistent, but there is always way for things to come together rather than fall apart.
There are also plenty of small wonders waiting for me in any new place I live. I get to see the season change in a whole other environment (and thank goodness they finally are, I might add, summer cannot come soon enough!). When friends invite me for a weekend trip just outside the city, I get to walk through forests and landscapes I've never seen before. A plain old walking track is a fun adventure for me, even if the people I'm with don't know what a toque is and have never heard the childhood road-trip songs I know so well. On any given day I might meet someone who gives me insight into a different way of living, a different culture, or just a different outlook on life. And in Wellington in particular you are always likely to run into, (or be run into by), interesting, beautiful, and sometimes plain weird works of art.
My time in Wellington is coming to a close soon, however, since in a few weeks I will be resuming my title of nomad to travel the rest of the country. In the mean time, I still have a job here and will need to wake up for it tomorrow so as much as I would like to continue this much needed catch up, I should probably get some sleep.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wellington Photo Catch-up
A little photo catch-up of my first couple weeks in Wellington. Oh how I miss the sun!
Preciousssssss!!
My first night in Welly - at a cafe with coushsurfing hosts John and Rebecca and their friend Andy. Also here but not seen are Tony and Mae. Couchsurfing is still amazing to me - would never have met any of these great people without it, all of whom I am still in touch with! Andy and John took me to the Weta Cave my first day here, which is where the above creature pictures come from. Honorable mention to Andy for showing me around Welly so much :)
A walk into town on a nice sunny May day in Wellington.
At the fruit and vege market - THE place to get affordable and fresh fruit and vegies!
An evening view of central Wellington from the top of Mt Victoria.
Pop Quiz! How many ways can you stereotype backpacker hostels from one picture?
A little modern art at an old gun bay.
A traditional Maori meeting house on display in Te Papa, the national museum.
Someone actually drove this once.
A modern take on traditional Maori art.
A cow - made from tins of corned beef... it's art, make of it what you will!
Preciousssssss!!
My first night in Welly - at a cafe with coushsurfing hosts John and Rebecca and their friend Andy. Also here but not seen are Tony and Mae. Couchsurfing is still amazing to me - would never have met any of these great people without it, all of whom I am still in touch with! Andy and John took me to the Weta Cave my first day here, which is where the above creature pictures come from. Honorable mention to Andy for showing me around Welly so much :)
A walk into town on a nice sunny May day in Wellington.
At the fruit and vege market - THE place to get affordable and fresh fruit and vegies!
An evening view of central Wellington from the top of Mt Victoria.
Pop Quiz! How many ways can you stereotype backpacker hostels from one picture?
A little modern art at an old gun bay.
A traditional Maori meeting house on display in Te Papa, the national museum.
Someone actually drove this once.
A modern take on traditional Maori art.
A cow - made from tins of corned beef... it's art, make of it what you will!
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