My Newest Old Friend

On Friday, I packed up and headed to the airport to pick up my friend Sophie. You may recall that Sophie is an Aussie living in Canberra, whose husband Cam is working with Ben in Baghdad. Although I had only spent a few hours with Sophie in Australia, I knew I had a great new friend when I left our lunch last month. I was thrilled when Sophie booked a ticket to come visit for Easter weekend and was so looking forward to spending much more time together.

Based on a suggestion from Ben and Paula, we headed out to the Coromandel Peninsula, an area of the north island only two hours drive from Auckland. We couldn’t stop talking – we had so much to catch up on – and arrived in a small town called Thames before we knew it. We had planned on grabbing some dinner and a glass of wine, but we quickly learned that everything in Thames shuts down early, and no alcohol is sold on Good Friday. We ended up with some cans of soda and fish and chips down near the bay and definitely had a wonderful, quiet night in the town. Because we missed the last movie at the cinema (at 7:30!), we ended up renting A Mighty Heart, which turned out to probably not be the best pick for two wives missing their overseas husbands.

We left Thames fairly early on Saturday morning and drove up the west coast of the peninsula to cross over the mountains. We had some great scenic views from up at the top of the mountains and then continued to wind our way down to the beaches on the other side. We stopped at Cathedral Cove, a beach on the east side of the peninsula where some huge caves had been carved into the cliff walls that lined the ocean. We walked about half hour to get to the caves and then stopped on our way back at Sting Ray Bay, a fairly quiet and deserted beach with a few other swimmers, snorkelers, and kayakers. Although there didn’t seem to be any sting rays, there were some violent waves and a ton of seaweed that made swimming a bit tough. Regardless, we both took a refreshing dip into the NZ surf and enjoyed relaxing on the beach before hiking back up the parking lot.

Stopping along our drive for a view of the east coast of the Coromandel

A look down to Cathedral Cove

Cathedral Cove

Sting Ray Bay

While we had heard about Hot Water Beach, a beach where you can dig bath-like holes into the ground that fill with warm water, we decided to by pass spending any time there and instead headed on to Tairua, the little town where we stayed on Saturday night. It was buzzing with the Easter crowd, but I liked the feel of the area and the fact that it seemed considerably busier than Thames! We enjoyed some snacks at our hostel, looking out onto the water and the sunset, and then we had one of the best meals I’ve enjoyed in quite some time that evening. We also were able to speak with Ben and Cam during our dinner, and we had an early birthday celebration for Sophie with a delicious brownie for dessert.

With Sophie before dinner

Full moon in Tairua

lthough we intended to head back to Hot Water Beach on Sunday, we just didn’t quite feel like it – so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, a couple cups of coffee, and a pleasant drive back into Auckland. Sophie had found a great last minute deal on a nice hotel downtown, and I am so thankful she came across it! The hotel was right on the park, and was complete with a comfortable bed, clean sheets, a TV, large bathroom, frig, washer/dryer, and a great view of the city. I must admit that we got sucked into a television show called “Surprise Weddings,” and we enjoyed a very relaxing afternoon at the hotel. We ultimately walked through the city to the Viaduct, the marina area that has several restaurants and bars, and we enjoyed another great dinner and conversation looking out over the boats.

I dropped Sophie off at the airport Monday morning and was so incredibly sad to see her leave. While we haven’t spent much time together in terms of hours or days, she has certainly become a very close friend to me – my newest “old friend,” so to speak. It is so nice to be able to talk honestly about both our husbands and how we are doing and coping through this year, and I am so confident that all four of us will be together at some point in the near future. When we heard word that the Green Zone had been shelled Sunday night, I have to admit that I was scared – I know that it has happened before and that Ben most likely would be ok – but it was so nice to be with someone else who may have shared some of the same anxiety (although I have to tell you that Sophie kept her calm the whole time!). What a relief when our husbands finally called, safe and sound.

I had a whirlwind final morning in Auckland and boarded a plane Monday afternoon for Bangkok. Because I visited the city back in 2005 when I was returning home from India, I won’t be spending much time here – it just happened to be the cheapest place in Asia to fly to from New Zealand. I’ve been trying to gear up for Asia for a couple of weeks, and now I’m just anxious to finally be here. It helps that I’ve seen Bangkok before, but the rest of my itinerary for the next six weeks includes destinations I’ve never seen – Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and China. I’ll wrap up my trip in Hong Kong, another city I visited in 2005, but a familiar city where there are several friends living. It’s been great to talk with Ben and Paula about their long multi-month backpacking trip through Asia a few years ago, and Sophie and Cam happened to visit Laos and Cambodia last summer. While the places may sound remote and a little crazy, I hear that there are quite a few tourists and backpackers in the area. Also, it looks like I’ll get to see Ann, my roommate from Turangi, in Chiang Mai, and Kelly (Ben’s cousin) and her husband are planning to meet up with me in Cambodia. I also think that I may cross paths with some fellow colleagues from Deloitte who are in Vietnam currently, and I’ve been passed along the name of a couple of people living in China. It’s certainly a bit of an intimidating itinerary for the next six weeks, but I’ve been wanting to visit these countries for quite some time and am looking forward to it. A little anxious, yes, but eager. I have to admit that it’s been very nice to be in Australia and New Zealand for almost the past two months, countries where it’s so easy to travel and so conducive for a female to travel alone. Clearly I’m trying to calm my own nerves!

Also, if you can’t tell, I’ve been really, really missing my husband. We’re rolling up on almost the six month mark of his deployment (including the first month of training on the west and east coasts of the U.S.), and the thought of another six months is endlessly stretching out before me. I am comforted by the fact that I get to see Ben in about three months and am excited that we finally decided on a destination for our reunion – Greece! We’ve heard so many great things about that and really talked about that as a possible location since we learned of his break, so it’s nice to finally have a place more definite to focus on in my mind. The next two months can’t seem to come quickly enough.

Thanks for all of your continued emails and prayers, and I look forward to sharing with you my travels and adventures in SE Asia.

"Can I Give You a Hug?"

I had a great trip down to Wellington and back up to Auckland last week. Before the big update, I wanted to give you some photos from the beginning of my trek down to the southern tip of the north island…
The other audience members at the Maori cultural show in Rotorua...look close for the fanny packs!

Maori statue in Rotorua

I quite enjoyed my time in Turangi. It was a tiny town, where I found myself lying in the park reading a book during my first afternoon there to take in the sunshine and some pastoral peace before the big hike on Thursday. I stayed in a great hostel on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and on Wednesday night, I only had one bunkmate – Ann, a Thai woman who had been working in New Zealand on behalf of the British Council in Chiang Mai. She only had a couple days of vacation but was enthusiastic about the day she had spent on the hike and her last couple of days in New Zealand.

On Thursday morning, I woke up fairly early to catch a shuttle to the local National Park. I started on the hike, known as the Tongariro Crossing, around 8:45 and finished that afternoon at 3:00 p.m. It was a fairly rigorous hike through volcanic valleys and across the rim of one of the three volcanoes in the park. After an extremely steep climb up the side of the volcanoes, I was hit with a lot of wind and cold weather but a great view of the three emerald lakes, small pools known for the bright green color of the water. Although I arrived at the lakes around 12:00, I decided to make it to the last hut on the trail before I stopped for lunch around 1:30. Honestly, I really enjoyed the walk down the other side of the park the most, as the weather and the clouds cleared, and I had a great view of the valley below. I had also been walking with a friendly Australian couple – Claire and Simon – at the beginning of the trip but enjoyed being able to go at my own pace on the way down and take in the scenery for myself. I arrived back at the parking lot (or “car park” as it’s known here) in time for the first return shuttle back to town. I felt great after an active day and enjoyed a light dinner of cheese, fruit, and veggies for dinner.

View from the top of the long climb up the volcano

My artistic take on the view

Emerald lakes from the top of the rim

Valley view on the way down
A quick photo after lunch

Although I had booked a fairly inexpensive bus fare, I had to wait until 3:30 the next day to leave town for Wellington. En route to find a cup of coffee, I saw an older woman crossing the road taking a large sip out of her coffee cup. We struck up a conversation (I inquired about finding a good coffee shop), and we had a really lovely chat. Turns out that she lives fairly close to Wellington and was en route up to visit her daughter and her grandchildren for the weekend. We talked about my travels, and when she learned I was married to an overseas soldier (as observed from my wedding ring and my response to her inquiry about Kiwi gentlemen), she asked, “Can I give you a hug?” She gave me a huge hug and told me to hang in there! Not only was I taken aback at how friendly and wonderful an interchange I had on the sidewalk with this New Zealander, but I was also amazed at how another “little angel” had appeared just when I needed a hug the most.

I wrapped up my stay in Turangi and hopped on board the Inter-city bus (NZ’s form of Greyhound) to Wellington, about a five hour ride to the south. Admittedly, I was excited by the sight of a double decker bus – I still get enthusiastic, even over the little things! The bus trip turned out to be a pretty long one, though – the driver turned on the heat for the top part of the bus about an hour into the drive, even though it was about 75 degrees outside, and we all were dying from the temperature. Once he realized his mistake, the A/C was no longer working, so I moved down to the bottom cramped seats. I did enjoy the scenery but was more than ready to be off the bus once I arrived in the city.

Wellington is a really neat town, known for a great art scene, plentiful cafes lining the streets, an amazing national museum, and its claim as the official capital of New Zealand (did you think it was Auckland?). I was thrilled that I had met two new friends on the Kilimanjaro trek that live and work in Wellington for the Global Volunteer Network, the non-governmental organizational (“NGO”) that facilitates volunteer opportunities and fundraising treks around the world. Libby, an American from Denver, moved to Wellington a little over a year ago to work with the volunteer and the fundraising arm of GVN and the GVN Foundation. Lauren, an Aussie from Melbourne, also moved to New Zealand about a year ago to assist with communications and marketing. Both Libby and Lauren coordinated and planned our Kilimanjaro trek, and Lauren was one of the nine individuals in my group that headed up the mountain together.

I was looking forward to seeing both of them again, and they were waiting at the train station on Friday evening to pick me up. We headed out to a local bar called the Southern Cross and had the best time catching up, hearing about the rest of their trip in Africa, and reliving some of the funny (and not-so-funny-but-intense) moments from our climb in Tanzania. It was great to be with “old” friends! I also met two other Americans that were affiliated with GVN that evening – Barbara, a board member who had volunteered with GVN a year ago for three months and who just so happens to be from Rhinelander, Wisconsin (home of Deerhorn and her brother, who runs the local sports store…where Ben used to frequent during his time up at camp!), and Courtney, who started the GVN Foundation and moved from the Denver area last year to help run and facilitate the fundraising in support of GVN programs.

On Saturday morning, the five of us and a friend of Lauren’s met for coffee and breakfast downtown and then took in the blue sky weather by walking around Wellington and strolling through downtown. We headed down to the waterfront, stopping in the national museum (Te Papa) and then stopping to watch the dragon boat races in the harbor. I happened to catch sight of one of the jerseys and was happy to see that my own accounting firm was proudly represented in the races, although I understand they hadn’t been doing so well in the races  Libby and Lauren then took me on a trip around the coast, down to the southern point of Wellington where we could see the southern island, and then back into the city where we passed the cricket grounds where England (and its supporters the “POHME Army”) was playing New Zealand. We had a rest back at Lauren’s house, sitting out on their back deck with some snacks, a couple of NZ beers, and some music to cap off the afternoon.

Lauren, Barbara, Libby, me, and Courtney at the harbor in Wellington

Boat races in the harbor

The team I pulled for...

On Saturday evening, we were invited to Courtney’s flat, where she lives with two others that work at GVN and an unaffiliated Canadian working in the country for a few months. One of the roommates, Tracy, was hosting us for “curry and wine night,” and Tracy made the best fish curry I’ve ever had. Lauren, Libby, and I contributed a couple bottles of wine and some yummy chocolate truffles we had purchased at a downtown chocolatier, but it was nothing compared to the awesome food we ate. One of the other roommates had made homemade bread and homemade chocolate cake, so we were certainly eating well that evening. The living room looked out into the Wellington neighborhoods and over the water and was the perfect place to take in the sunset as we ate. What a fun evening with a great group of people – four Americans, a Canadian, two Kiwis, a South African, and an Aussie!

Perfect sunset, delicious dinner, great company on a Saturday night in Wellington

Lauren and Libby had decided for us to head out for a hike on Sunday morning, but when we woke, we found blusterly and rainy weather. We opted out of the hike and went to a local coffee shop, and then I went with Lauren and Libby to the store. Both of them are living in volunteer houses that GVN runs – Lauren’s house hosts volunteers who are participiating in the environmental program (they had spent two weeks working on kiwi bird preservation), while the volunteers in Libby’s house participate in a training program to learn about non-profits and how to establish their own volunteer organizations. We had a relaxing day, and I spent some time chatting with my friends, some of the volunteers, and reading up on southeast asia in preparation for the next leg of my trip. On Sunday night, Libby and I met up with Lauren downtown for dinner, and then Lauren and I headed back home.

I had a mission on Monday – to get a visa to China. Because Wellington was the capital of NZ, it was also home to several embassies, the Chinese one included. I was a little skeptical about how I was going to secure a visa given that I had heard it was a difficult process that required having to show lots of documents and itineraries prepared by travel agents – none of which I happened to have. I was also hoping to see a bit of Wellington, as it was to be my last day. After doing some research and getting some much-needed help from Ben’s Hong Kong-based cousin Kelly, I found my way to the Chinese embassy moments before the cut-off time for visa applications. The high point of the adventure was taking the historical cable car up to the Botanical Gardens, but the low points included sprinting through the gardens and subsequently running down the street with my daypack in tow as buses flew past me. I made the drop off deadline and realized as I walked into the embassy that it may not be the best time for me to be visiting the diplomatic building, given the banners and protestor (albeit a peaceful one) outside the building in support of the recent Tibetan crisis, which had erupted over the weekend.

Once I finally could take a deep breath and enjoy the fact that the application had been registered, I strolled through the gardens and happened upon a rose garden in the middle of the park. I then had a great few hours, wandering back down to the city center, attempting to catch the end of the cricket game – which finished when I was only two blocks away – and then walking through Te Papa, a fascinating and impressive museum that included history, arts, cultural exhibits, and nature exhibitions. By the time I finished at the museum, it was time for me to attempt to collect my passport back up at the embassy. I was happy to learn that my visa had been granted but unhappy to hear that they didn’t take credit cards – and that the closest ATM was not anywhere in walking distance. It would be held for me the next morning. Monday evening was relaxing, as I joined Lauren and Tracy for a yoga class, and dinner was prepared by a couple of volunteers at the house for all of us staying there.

Wishing well at the Rose Garden in the Botanical Gardens

A look down on Wellington from the cable car landing

Lauren was kind enough to drop me off downtown on Tuesday morning, at which time I finally collected my passport and stopped for a bagel on my way to pick up a rental car. The Sawards had clued me in to a potential deal to rent a car for FREE, as the rental car companies were looking for people to drive cars back up to northern destinations. I was thrilled when my request to drive from Wellington to Auckland with Budget had been approved, and I was looking forward to exploring a bit on my own NOT in a bus to make my way back north. Although the company allowed me to take 48 hours, I decided to head back in one day in order to head over to Waiheke Island on Wednesday (more on that to come).

Once I started driving north, I couldn’t help but make a somewhat small (probably 2-3 hour) detour over to see the Taranaki volcano and Mt. Egmont on the western coast of the north island. I had seen the volcano from the air, and it was amazing – how it just sprung up out of nowhere and how a perfect circle of treeline formed around its base. So, when it looked like it wouldn’t be too far for me to drive, I headed a bit out of my way and was thrilled with the decision. I could see the volcano for miles before I arrived, given the clear skies, and I actually was able to drive about half way up to the ski field area. I really can’t imagine skiing down the side of it, and it looks incredibly steep and pretty intimidating. I learned later that there aren’t any chair lifts up the side, so skiing there would certainly be an experience, both up and down the side of the mountain.

Taranaki from a distance...

...and up close

The whole drive, including detour, took me about 10 hours, and I would say that the first 8 were pretty enjoyable. The last two seemed to drag on and on, and it felt like I was never to actually arrive back in Auckland. I did get there around 9:30 that evening and was happy to see my friend’s familiar apartment on arrival.

The next morning, I woke up fairly early to head over to Waiheke Island. In addition to having some of their own vineyards, Paula’s mom also oversees vineyards for John, a friendly older New Zealander who had married an American years ago and had spent much of his time as a Professor Emeritus in Washington. Paula’s mom had invited me to help pick grapes at the vineyard – it was so kind of her to include me, as I had been really eager to see what that part of the wine-making process was like. The vineyard was on a scenic hill overlooking a bay, and a group of about 10 of us picked malbec grapes on Wednesday, starting around 8:00 a.m. and concluding at 3:00 p.m. I even had the opportunity to see the grapes be crushed at the winemaker’s facility and observe how they went from the buckets we had filled during picking into a vat of liquid within minutes – where the wine will stay to ferment over the next few months. Afterwards, I walked around the main town in Waiheke, Oneroa, and then Paula’s mom and I headed to a café on the beach for a glass of wine. I had a great time chatting with her and hearing about their lives on the island, as we enjoyed yet another great day of blue skies. I stayed with her and Mr. Saward on Wednesday evening, and we shared a great bottle of their own Shiraz wine on their porch before dinner, watching the sun set over the bay, downtown Auckland, and the Rangitoto volcano.

On Thursday, I helped pick grapes on another vineyard on Waiheke. The vines were full of shiraz grapes, and we were only helping to thin out the crop so that most of the grapes could continue to ripen over the next few weeks. I’m told that all of the grapes we picked will go into making a rose, which had been quite popular in the previous year. I caught a ride back into town with Neil, an American who moved to Waiheke in the mid-90’s who owns his own vineyards. He was kind enough to stop and pick me up when I was walking back to the town, and from our brief conversation, it sounds like he quite enjoys his New Zealand life! I had a lunch of fish and chips looking out on the water before Mrs. Saward took me back to the ferry landing to return to the city.

Malbec grapes on the vines before picking

Just a sample - not such a clean business of picking grapes!

A few of the bins we picked

Owner John helping to load up the truck to take to the crush

Picking in action

Grapes going into machine to be pulled off of stems

Stems after separation

Vat of juice today - wine in just a few months

The ferry from Waiheke, what I consider one of the best places to ever visit, to Auckland is only thirty minutes, and in what felt like no time, I was back down in the heart of the city. I did some preparations for my travels up to Asia and then headed back to Ben and Paula’s house. We had a fun evening with pizza and wine, and I enjoyed catching up with them after my few days of travel. My husband Ben also called early enough to talk with both of them, and it seemed a little surreal for two childhood friends from Glencoe to be catching up on life in Iraq and New Zealand.

I hope everyone had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day!

The Crazy Things We Do When We Travel...

Queenstown promised exactly what we had heard about – a lot of adventure!

On Saturday, we visited two places that had been recommended to me by travelers I met in Australia – Furgburger and the World Bar. Furgburger is known for its huge and delicious hamburgers, although I must admit that I’ll take an Erwin burger (or basically any burger over 1/4 inch thick) any day over these! They were delicious, though, and certainly a good break after the long drive in from Milford Sound. After tooling around the town a bit, we headed out – first to a bar with all the trappings of an old Western movie – and then on to World Bar. My travel mates in Australia had told me about the fact that the bar was known for serving cocktails out of tea pots, and of course Christopher and I had to try one. It was a pretty gimmicky trick, but certainly worked – the place was packed late night and full of young backpackers and the occasional bachelor party.

After a fun night out in Queenstown, Christopher mustered quite a bit of energy the next morning for his leap off of an extremely large bungee jump. We started the morning with a good cup of coffee and a rendezvous with our two Aussie friends from Te Anau (Hafey and Spike), after which he signed up for a leap off a 143M (over 400 ft!) bungee endorsed by AJ Hackett, the creator of the bungee insania in NZ. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see him leap from this height and paid the requisite $50 to travel out to the bungee “pod” suspended over a large rocky gorge. Hafey, a veteran bungee jumper, was also joining him on the trip, but Spike agreed with me that such a leap wasn’t a necessity for us. It was such a rush to watch people propel themselves off the side of this tiny wooden platform – I can’t even imagine what it would have been like to actually make the jump myself. Christopher’s promised a guest blogging appearance, so I hope he’ll be able to regale you with thrills of the experience.

To celebrate, we headed back into town to a local pub where Hafey and Christopher toasted their bravery and the fact that, per the bungee certificate, they were “no longer mere mortals.” Spike and Hafey took off to pick back up on their peaceful fishing vacation that afternoon, and Christopher and I stayed on in Queenstown. We had already lapped the town a few times and were starting to get a bit antsy but couldn’t leave quite yet.

On Monday, we had signed up for skydiving (yes, skydiving!), and we were both pretty jazzed to see clear blue skies for our jump. Admittedly, I’ve always wanted to go sky diving – I thought it would be scary but certainly a once-in-a-lifetime adrenaline rush. We headed to the “N Zone” shop after a quick cup of coffee (which proved unnecessary given the state of our nerves) and attempted to pay attention to the briefing and the sales pitch for DVDs and photos. Once we finally jumped on the shuttle out to the airfield, I was convinced that it would be awhile before we jumped – after all, no one had really told us what it would be like, how to land, etc.

I was surprised to see that we were ushered into the hangar fairly quickly and given jump suits. The briefing was literally only a couple of minutes, and both of our tandem jumpers seemed a bit bored by the whole prospect of going up and jumping out of a plane for what would most likely be the 6th or 7th time of the day for them. We were shown a laminated sheet of paper telling us to contort into the shape of a banana after launching out of the plane and then hopped on board a tiny, seatless aircraft. I was seated directly in front of my tandem master, with my photographer next to me and another photographer crammed in front. In all, there were nine of us in the back of a tiny plane – 3 jumpers, 3 tandem jumpers, and 3 photographers. I was trying to take in the scenery and keep my nerves calm when my tandem master announced about a minute before hitting 12,000 ft that I wasn’t going to jump …apparently there were issues with the photographer’s camera, and the company would otherwise refuse to allow me a second jump or a refund for the cost of the pictures. When I was trying to debate if he was being serious (or was this just a cruel joke to distract me from the fact I was going to hurl myself from a plane??), Christopher and the second jumper in our plane had been flung from the hatch on their way down to solid ground. Once I learned that the photographer wasn’t kidding, I relaxed a bit and took in the scenery of the snow capped mountains and crystal blue lake below.

By the time I landed with the plane, Christopher was already on the ground and was searching the sky for my parachute. I hopped out and forced a smile to show the next people that I hadn’t chickened out – it was merely a “malfunction” that kept me from jumping the first time. Within five minutes, I was back up in the air with a fully-functioning camera in place.

The jump was a rush – especially given that my tandem jumper was a bit heavier than me, which resulted in me flipping upside down and staring at blue sky for the first few seconds. All I could think was “what the hell have I decided to do??” Once we righted ourselves, I finally had the chance to take in the scenery and ultimately fully exhaled when the parachute opened. It was a fun ride back down to the ground, and I landed safely in a green pasture only minutes (but what felt much longer) after the jump. It never felt so good to be back on solid ground.

A thumbs-up for a functioning camera!

Preparing to jump from the hatch

Freefalling...

A stunning view of the lake and mountains from the air

Finally able to exhale!

What better way to celebrate a sky dive than with a wine tasting?? Not what I had planned on when I woke up Monday, but we had heard that there were some outstanding vineyards in the area, and for lack of other options, decided to take off in pursuit on Monday afternoon. We also thought a touch of red wine would help calm the nerves and pacify the adrenaline. It was a pleasant afternoon out in the countryside and certainly an eclectic way to end our stay in Queenstown.

After three days in Queenstown, I was worn out from the amount of food and drinks we had consumed, the adventure sports we had seen, and the quaint town that seemed to get smaller with every lap around the perimeter. We had also heard quite a bit about Dunedin, a university town on the east coast, and knew that we had a bit of a hike ahead of us to make it back to Christchurch for our return flight to Auckland. So, on Tuesday morning, we decided to start heading out of town in the hopes of meeting up with some of my college friends, Steve and Rachel, in route. Unfortunately, our plans didn’t seem to coincide – we were about 5 hours apart – and I was quite sad to miss seeing them on the trip. Dear Kennedys - I am so sorry we couldn’t meet up and hope that I get to see you another time soon!

We arrived in Dunedin early afternoon after a stop for a delicious pie en route…Christopher had a yummy bacon and egg pie, while I tried the chicken and brie. Apparently the owner of the pie shop (“Jimmy”) is one of New Zealand’s pie judges, and I must admit it was delectable!

Christopher enjoying the stop at Jimmy's

The thing we were most shocked by in Dunedin was its size; after traveling through small towns for so long, the sight of an exit ramp and more than one stop light was overwhelming. Christopher accurately remarked about how quickly our perspectives on towns had changed over the past ten days. We checked into our hostel and then decided to head out to the Otago Peninsula, known for its beautiful array of birds (albatross and penguins most notably). The drive was a little hair-raising – windy, two lane roads with no guard rails to protect against the five foot drop into the ocean – but also a very nice look at the coastline under some perfect weather conditions. Due to budget constraints, I refused to pay the $30 EACH to see the birds, and we went in search of the bird colonies on our own. We ended up on three random detours, and although none of them provided any aviary sightings, they were my favorite parts of the day. We discovered private sheep farms (not such a novelty but still lovely), a secluded beach, and a castle, and I enjoyed every second. It was money well worth NOT spending and a good drive around the peninsula.

A snapshot on one of our detours around the Otago Peninsula

Christopher was keen on some fish for dinner that night, and we set off in the direction of the Town Octagon (as opposed to Square). We didn’t quite find anything we wanted there, so we ended up at a restaurant known as The Reef for a tasty seafood platter. We subsequently headed back to the Octagon that evening and enjoyed walking around and taking in the Tuesday nightlife (not much!). On our way home, we came across a young man climbing down a fire escape off a second floor flat above an Octagaon-situated bar and stopped to inquire…turns out he had (for some stupid reason) thrown his cell phone out the window and was coming down to retrieve the parts. Being the helpful Americans we are :), Christopher and I helped him assemble the pieces and were invited inside the flat with his friends for a drink. Turns out that the guys were hosting a wine and cheese party to toast a flatmate’s birthday and were all students at the local university. The group was quite funny and the place was disgusting – exactly on par with what I would expect out of some seniors in college!

Seafood platter at The Reef, Dunedin

We wrapped up our stay in Dunedin the next morning with a brief walk around the university and then started on our drive north to Christchurch. We thought the drive would take around 4 hours, but we ran into traffic (all relative compared to Chicago standards) and quite a bit of construction; by the time we reached Christchurch 5+ hours later, Christopher was ready for a break. En route, we stopped at the Moeraki Boulders, large boulders formed inside the sand dunes that had fallen into the ocean, and also in Timaru in search of penguins (again, no sitings).
We spent just a little over 12 hours in Christchurch and didn’t spend much time exploring, although we did attempt to go into the cathedral in the heart of town (but it was closed). We met my friend David, who had also participated on the Kilimanjaro climb with me and has lived in Christchurch for the past five years, for dinner and then headed back to our hostel to wrap up our last night.

Ben S. picked us up at the airport in Auckland on Thursday, and I stayed there the past few days enjoying time with our friends and the ability to unpack my bag. On Thursday evening, we had a picnic dinner on the waterfront with fish and chips and some of Paula’s family’s wine. We enjoyed the great weather, a beautiful sunset, and warm company as Christopher and I reflected on our past few weeks of travel together.

On Friday, Christopher and I headed downtown to spend more time in the city for the last day of his vacation. Prior to visiting, I had no idea what a huge sailing city Auckland was – it’s known as “The City of Sails” due to its rich racing history and its victory of the America’s Cup a few years ago. Around the Viaduct and Marina area, an annual boat show had started for the weekend, and there were huge yachts and other fancy boats on display. Christopher opted for one last excursion and went on a two hour sailing trip aboard an America’s Cup sailboat. He had blue skies for his sail and an opportunity to help the crew while onboard. Meanwhile, I had a productive couple of hours, during which time I visited the American consulate for extra passport pages, picked up some stamps, fixed my watch, investigated tickets to Asia, and researched bus routes to travel around the north island. We met back up for a lunch right next to the water and then made our way to the Victoria park market. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very good market – much more established tourist shops than anything – but it was nice to see one of the city parks and venture around a bit more (even past the Deloitte building that had a neon blue sign?).

On Friday evening, we went with Ben and Paula to a free outdoor festival called Pasifika. The festival is held once a year and showcases the culture and performances of the people of the various Pacific Islands. On Friday evening, we saw about 6-7 acts, some of which included dancing performances by groups from some of the islands, including Fiji. The festival was to continue through the next day and was sure to attract quite a crowd. We celebrated Christopher’s last evening of his vacation with a Thai dinner after the festival. He left early the next morning, and I was really sad to see him leave. I’ve had such a great time traveling with him over the past three weeks, and I’m so appreciative that he took such a long break off of work to come and meet me in Australia and New Zealand. Christopher, thanks for being such a great brother and for making our time together so much fun! I will certainly miss traveling with you and can't wait to exhange pictures and stories when I get home.

Saturday was a much-needed low key day. I enjoyed a leisurely morning run, followed by coffee with Ben and Paula and a relaxing, long walk with Paula late afternoon to her sister’s home. Her sister hosted us for dinner on Saturday evening, and I had the chance to meet Paula’s niece, brother-in-law, and two other friends. We sat outside on a patio enjoying a barbequed meal, good wine, and another nice New Zealand sunset. It reminded me of summer dinners on the Pfeffer’s deck at home and of the fact that I get to return to summer in Chicago.

Paula and I took at trip a couple of hours north of the city on Sunday to Mangawhai, where we enjoyed a long hike along the cliff bluffs that overlooked the ocean. The drive was an enjoyable respite from the busyness of the city, and we were out in sheep fields and rolling hills before I knew it. After our two hour hike along the bluffs, we finished the afternoon with a dip in the ocean and my first swim in the waters off of New Zealand. The water was so clear and refreshing – much appreciated after our warm hike!

On the cliff walk in Mangawhai

I had designated Monday as my “work day” to catch up on various miscellaneous personal items that needed to be attended to – bills, emails, plans for the next few weeks. But before hunkering down into an internet café, I took another nice run along the ocean (only 10+ minutes from where Ben and Paula are living) and enjoyed a coffee in a quaint coffee shop lining the ocean front road. It was a productive afternoon – certainly not the ideal way to spend a day on the road, but necessary! Paula’s younger brother and his wife invited us over for dinner Monday night, and it was great to meet the rest of Paula’s family. All of the Sawards have been so generous and welcoming and are the most lovely family. A huge thank you to all of you for welcoming me into your homes and for hosting me throughout the past few weeks!

I left Auckland yesterday morning to spend the rest of this week making my way to Wellington. I’m going to visit Lauren and Libby, two of my new friends from the Kilimanjaro hike that work in the city with the Global Volunteer Network. Ben and Paula helped to plan my itinerary, and I found some great bus deals to help on my southbound trip. I spent last night in Rotorua, a town known for its strong presence of Maori culture and its geothermic activity. I arrived here around 5:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon and spent a couple of hours walking around the town center and the lake. Because of the geothermic activity, there are several bathhouses and water spas that are big attractions – but I can’t get over the sulfur smell enough to come within a few hundred meters of the buildings! I was more interested in learning about the Maori culture, but the prices I had heard quoted for a show were exorbitant on my backpacker budget. I did some sleuthing around town and ultimately found a show for only $30 (down from the $90+ that had been quoted elsewhere).

Although I saved quite a bit of money on the show, I was definitely the youngest person in attendance. Almost everyone else in the audience could be divided into two groups – older Germans sporting some sweet fanny packs, or herds of Japanese tourists. Oh well – I figured it was certainly a discerning crowd and the show must be good! It was an enjoyable performance, showcasing some of the traditional dances and songs of the Maori people, and I was interested to observe some of the similarities to the Hawaiian luau that Ben and I had attended in Maui. I was glad I had done some investigating and am appreciative of observing a small bit of the indigenous culture here in Rotorua.

This morning I spent a couple more hours walking around town and visited Ohinemutu, a gatherine of a few Maori buildings and supposedly once of the first settlements in Rotorua. I then jumped on a bus to Turangi, a tiny town know for great trout fishing and its proximity to a popular trailhead. I leave here in the morning around 7:00 a.m. to do the Tongariro Crossing, reputably one of the best one day hikes in New Zealand. I'll be sure to take a lot more pictures than I have over the last few days and will hopefully have some good ones to share! I'll stay here in Turangi tomorrow night and then catch one more bus on Friday to Wellington, where I’ll spend the weekend.

New Country: New Zealand!

Christopher and I arrived last Friday night in Auckland and were excited to greet our friends Ben and Paula at the airport. Ben S. grew up in Glencoe with my husband Ben and is living here in Auckland with his Kiwi wife Paula before spending the next year in Sri Lanka as part of his doctoral degree. Ben (my husband) and I had dinner with Ben and Paula the evening after we learned about Ben’s deployment to Iraq back in August, and it was Paula that started me thinking about the trip. She and Ben extended an immediate invitation to spend some time with them during their months here in Auckland, and the rest of the trip progressed from there. I was really looking forward to seeing New Zealand and visiting with them - and am happy to have quite a bit of time in this country.

On Saturday, Ben and Paula drove us from Auckland to Piha, a small town on the west coast of the northern island. Piha is a small surf town lining a black sand beach known for its massive waves - a bit of the “wild” coast. Although the weather was quite rainy, we had a fun lunch and afternoon there, driving into a national park, eating steak & cheese pies in Piha, and witnessing a surf rescue boat competition in the stormy waters at the beach. We stopped for a coffee and some dessert in Titirangi on our way back to Ben and Paula’s apartment and enjoyed some time relaxing before heading downtown Auckland to celebrate Christopher’s birthday. Ben and Paula treated us to a delicious dinner on Saturday evening, which ended with some drinks and dancing in the Viaduct (bar) area of Auckland.


Stop en route to Piha with Christopher, Ben, and Paula

On Sunday, Paula and Ben took us to Paula’s home on Waiheke Island, an island located about 30 minutes away via ferry and known for its locally produced wine. Paula grew up on Waiheke, and her parents still live in an AMAZING home on top of a hill, overlooking vineyards, olive groves, the ocean, and the Auckland skyline in the distance. Mrs. Saward treated us to a wonderful lunch of quiche, salad, rolls, and banana cake, and we drank some of the wine made from the grapes they grow on their own vineyard. It was certainly a special way for us to spend Christopher’s birthday, and we both appreciate the warm hospitality that the Sawards showed to us.

After lunch, Ben and Paula took us on a tour of the island, walking through the national park located minutes from Paula’s home, strolling along the beach, and stopping in the Cable Bay winery for an afternoon coffee/wine. Upon returning from the ferry, we met two of their friends for a yummy Korean dinner before heading home and crashing early.

With Paula at her family's home on Waiheke

Christopher's Birthday Cake

View of Auckland from Waiheke Ferry

On Monday morning, Christopher and I set off for our two week journey around the south island. We flew into Christchurch, a town on the eastern coast, and immediately took off on the road traversing the island. We drove about 6-7 hours on Monday, crossing over to the west coast with a stop in Arthur’s Pass for lunch. Within an hour of leaving Christchurch, we were in the middle of arid mountains, which gave way to more lush peaks the further we traveled. We were in awe of the scenery – every bend in the road seemed to bring us something even more outstanding. After driving west for about 4 hours, we took a left and started south down the coast. Never before had I seen such an undeveloped beach – miles and miles of the sea with no developments, no buildings, no condos, nothing. It was refreshing to see such a pristine coast, and Christopher and I took a last minute detour to the beach of Okarito. Supposedly, there are only 30 permanent residents in the town, which lines the coast and had some of the roughest surf I’ve ever seen – surf that was clearly lethal should you choose to swim. I even feel confident in my swimming ability and knew at first glance that I was no match for the Arctic waters. Neither Christopher nor I took many pictures at Okarito – a town with no commercial stores other than a couple of tour companies – because we’re not sure either of us could capture the pleasant surprise of our unexpected stop.

Caution - Kiwi Crossings (on the road returning from Okarito Beach)

We arrived in the town of Franz Joseph Glacier (aptly named after the glacier located a few km from town) and made a needed pit stop at the grocery and at the local tour office. While we had intended to just visit the peaks of Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier the next day for a look, we ultimately decided to sign up for the half day trip that took us up onto the face of the Franz Josef Glacier. It was a fantastic decision, and on Tuesday, we spent the morning hiking up and around the raging river (apparently normally much more of a “bubbling brook”), over a couple of rock hills (with the help of ladders, chains, and ropes), and up onto the terminal face of the glacier after attaching crampons to our hiking boots. The total tour lasted over 5 hours and is one that I would highly recommend to anyone visiting New Zealand. It was just so cool to actually be walking on a glacier! Our guide carried an axe pick, which he would use to clear the path up the face of the ice formation, and we stopped throughout the climb to snap pictures of the glacier, the countless waterfalls in the surrounding hills, and the mountains that had been formed by the movement of the glacier hundreds of years prior. It was difficult to not be overwhelmed by our surroundings, and we left the trip feeling satisfied and pleased with the decision to take the tour. On my next visit to New Zealand (note that I’m already intending to return), I intend to save some money to do the helicopter tour trip that promises views of both glaciers and Mt. Cook – as well as a drop onto higher altitudes of the glacier for hiking.

Walking to the Terminal Face of Franz Josef Glacier

Hiking up Franz Josef

We departed the glaciers on Tuesday afternoon and drove to Wanaka, a ski town on the edge of Lake Wanaka that provided a look of the “Southern Alps” and several good hiking trails. The drive through the Haast Pass was incredible, complete with more mountains, blue lakes, and breathtaking sites around every bend. We stopped multiple times to hop out to take photos and were even more pleased when we arrived in Wanaka to find a quaint town, a nice budget lodge, and some good food options. Dinner was at the Speight Ale House, with a drink afterwards at Shooters (the local bar), before heading home.

We had a coffee in town on Wednesday morning and walked around a bit before driving to Mt. Aspiring National Park. We had been told that the drive through the valley to the park was quite nice, and it delivered on the promise. Not only did we have more great views of the scenery (note that this is becoming a constant for each day of our trip), but we drove past several sheep farm and even forced our way through (thanks to Christopher’s honking) a herd of sheep blocking the way. We set out on a 3 hour (return) hike through the Rob Roy Valley from the Raspberry Flats parking lot, walked across a swing bridge, up a series of switchbacks, and were afforded with views of the Roy glacier, waterfalls, and mountain peaks surrounding us. We ate a quick lunch of PB&J sandwiches sitting on the rocks in the valley, then packed up and headed back down.

Just another stunning view on our drives...

Feeling on top of the world in New Zealand

Wouldn't be a trip without some sheep-siting!

Hike into the Rob Roy Valley - view of glaciers

New Zealand scenery

We arrived back in the town of Wanaka and walked around for a bit before heading back to our lodge for dinner. After dinner, we were intending to watch some movies on my computer when we started chatting with a Kiwi couple – Matt and Tonia. They had spent about five years working in London (working and saving to travel – then traveling 3-4 months a year), before returning to Auckland for Tonia to attend law school. They had great travel stories, and we enjoyed talking with them about New Zealand and getting a much-needed explanation of cricket. They were so kind to pass along their contact information and an invitation to meet up for a drink when we arrive back in Auckland.

After a leisurely morning in Wanaka on Thursday, we started our drive to Te Anau, a small town in Fiordland and the jumping off point for Milford Sound. You may have heard of Milford Sound previously, as it’s known for its glacier-carved mountains plunging into the water and for its four day hike popular with tourists. Although we didn’t have enough time to do the Milford Track, we had been told by a Kiwi in one of the Wanaka shops about the Milford Wanderer, an overnight boat cruise that allows you to stay out in Milford for an evening, inclusive of kayaking trips and food. We managed to book at the last minute for the trip and were excited by our good fortunate that the tour had available spaces.

Our drive to Te Anau went through farm lands and vineyards, with small fruit stands lining the road advertising the fresh peaches/cherries/berries/etc for sale. We arrived in Te Anau early yesterday afternoon and walked around part of the lake to the Wildlife Park that had some native birds on display. We then wandered around town (a small town, so the wandering was brief!) before finding our way to the cinema, where a local helicopter pilot shows his 30-minute movie of fiord scenery taken over the past few years. It was so nice to zone out a bit in a movie theater, and we left feeling relaxed and excited about our trip into Fiordland.

We made a cheap spaghetti dinner back at the hostel, which happened to be affiliated with the Youth Hostelling Association. Unfortunately, I think the “youth” part of the YHA had been long forgotten, because there were many more older people there than young travelers. Christopher even renamed it the “Geriatric Hostel,” a much more appropriate name for the accommodation. As much as we tried, we couldn’t avoid overhearing the discussion of health issues and how to use a computer (“no jeane, just left click on that…”) and finally threw in the towel. We left the hostel and picked up a couple of other women around our age who also seemed eager to break out for a bit. Turns out that the other women were also American travelers, and we enjoyed chatting with them about their lives back in Boston and LA. We also met two Aussies at the bar, cousins from Melbourne, and Christopher now has a buddy to do the bungee with in Queenstown (I’m just entirely too scared). Turned out to be a great evening and a good escape from the loud crowd at the YHA.

Friday, we woke to pouring rain – after a break over the last few days, it appears that the rain was back to accompany us to Milford. Although we intended to hit the road early to stop for hikes along the way, we opted out of that plan and postponed our departure to later in the morning. The drive included a 1.2 km tunnel downhill and switchback roads with countless waterfalls spilling off the side of the mountain.

We spent the afternoon out on Milford Sound aboard the Milford Wanderer, a large ship that was to provide accomodation for the evening. We had a break in the weather for a kayaking trip in the sound, which was certainly a highlight of the overnight voyage. The trip provided great food and a first hand look at more of the Sound than that which we would have ordinarily received on a 2-hour tour.

Christopher kayaking in Milford Sound

Christopher and I disembarked the boat this morning and departed Milford for Queenstown, where we're stay for the next couple of days. It looks like a pretty fun place and is known for its adventure sports, which we're contemplating. It promises to be an exciting few days here before we head back to Christchurch and head back to the north island later this week.