Memoirs of a Ginger: Happy Hour!

Above the clouds on the Kepler Track in NZ.

I know, I know, it has been way too long since I last wrote. It has also been too long living out of a van. Fortunately for both you and I, I am back to a semi-normal lifestyle, and back to a hostel. Even better, I am at an Internet cafe that has "Happy Hour" - happy indeed as the rates are much much cheaper validating enough time to update the blog. Today I find myself in Christchurch, New Zealand after travelling around for almost 4 weeks. Today is important for two reasons. 1) It is my last official full day in New Zealand 2) It is my first official day to be travelling on my own. I dropped my friend Jordan off at the airport yesterday. After 2 months of exploring Australia and New Zealand I will (and already do) miss him. Jordan, assuming you read this eventually, thank you for everything. I couldn't have asked for a better or easier way to plunge into my world journey. We had some trying times in sticky hot vehicles, in frozen ones too, and let's not begin to discuss how much I slowed you down on the hikes - but through it all I know it couldn't have gone any better. An adventure neither of us will ever forget. Unfortunately, only 2 cave pictures were saved from my blunder in copying those photos over. They aren't the best ones. :( But they will do.

The fire Jordan and I built while spending the night in a cave at the beach. It took two hours to convince me to do it with him, but after I got over fears of horse flies and who knows what else, I can say it was well worth it.

     So what have I been up to and where have I been? Well, I won't dwell on every single destination I've been in NZ as I'm sure most of you won't bother to look it up on a map (I wouldn't either, so I don't blame you). So let's get into a couple nitty-gritty stories. First off, let's discuss driving on the right side of the road. After two months or so of handling a rented vehicle in the land of opposites, I feel like I should explain a couple caveats I hadn't given much thought before the experience. (I should say half a month of handling, Jordan did most of the driving in Australia and more than me in NZ as well). What I hadn't really given much thought, when it came to driving on the opposite side of the road, is how much further those same rules apply to other circumstances. Example #1: Walking on the sidewalk. It's natural to walk on the right side for us as that's the steady flow of traffic. They do the same thing, only you'd walk on the left. At first I couldn't help but become a little disgruntled in thinking why the hell everyone was practically running into me. Eventually it dawned on me that it was me who was running into everyone else. By the end of 2 months, I've pretty much gotten than hang of it, not to mention looking right before looking left when crossing the street. But the problem with walking is that it comes naturally and it's an act you don't really give much thought. When your eyes start to wonder, taking in the sights and sounds of a new city, you eventually realize your body has naturally drifted towards the "wrong" side of the sidewalk. Luckily, I never ran into small children or old people, just your average Joe's that were probably used to getting hit by tourists. The funniest part is that in an area like Queenstown (which has a Kiwi population of probably less than 10%) that is very, very touristic, you find people walking on the right side all the time. By the time I got to Queenstown I had pretty much gotten the whole left side thing down. Ironically I couldn't help but think to myself - "geeze tourist, get it together!" Haha - only jokingly of course.
   Let's also talk about wits and resourcefulness (which is very much needed when you live in a van). I mentioned we had to stop at a "gym" facility to shower. What I forgot to mention is that we didn't bring in our towels. "How much for towels?" we asked. $5 and another $5 deposit you get back after turning it back in was the reply. What?! You've got be kidding me, I thought. What the hell is the $5 deposit for if you already have to pay to use it? Isn't a deposit supposed to work as insurance to pay for the cost of replacing the towel in case I walk off with it? "Want one?" --- "No, I think I'll be ok." I showered to my hearts delight and afterwards walked around the locker room a bit, air drying out. Not sure how "acceptable" that is in NZ, but most humilities are thrown out the window when you live out of van. Eventually, being the genius I am, I discovered the hand dryer. I dried off my legs and arms and kind of bent over a little awkwardly and even got some of my shoulders before I climbed another rung of the intelligence ladder. To my delight, my eyes spied a hair dryer. Hahaha - I spent a good 10-15 mins drying off with it and couldn't help but feel victorious. Not only did I not pay for a towel, I managed to run up their electricity bill a tad bit more in the process. A small victory, but a victory none the less. Kris, I couldn't help but think of that classic Chappel line I yelled at Jeff while in DC.
     Now let's discuss the beauty of New Zealand. You really can't go wrong in this country unless you spend too much time in Rotorua or Taupo (those are hot spring towns in the North Island that reek to high heaven of Sulfur. That stuff will get to you at some point I'm convinced). For you Lord of the Ring fans (Mike), you'll be happy to know that Jordan and I hiked around the Mt. that inspired Mt. Doom in Tongariro. An amazing hike that had it not been for Jordan, I probably would have not experienced. We hiked for an entire day to reach a Mt hut that we stayed in with approximately 15-20 other people. We were fortunate enough to be blessed by a clear and glorious day the next morning. The night in the hut I was near certain that we would have to turn back as a huge storm rolled through and howled against the hut all night. Other amazing hiking trips included the Kepler Track on the south island near Te Anau and Milford Sound. Jordan and I spent the night in another hut that night and on that particular hike, we got above both the tree line and the clouds. Truly amazing. As for wild life, we saw a couple Kea (decent sized parrot that loves to rip apart rubber lining on vehicles when left unattended), but nothing else too note worthy. No Kiwi, no Tuatara (sorry Kris), and I didn't bother to pay $40 to see the albatross colony in Dunedin. I thought pretty hard about it, but when it came down to it, I couldn't help but think that my life would probably continue without seeing a glorified seagull. Ok, so they're cooler than that (they can fly some 1200 Km in one day, have one mate for life, and are excellent treasure hunters when it comes to finding plastic pieces in our oceans - that last part is sarcastic as it typically kills them). Trash in our oceans is actually one of their main killers and isn't helping their endangered status. Back to the decision not to see one though... I also had to consider my local dining options and how much happier I would be to sample the delicacies of the local cuisine. My stomach won the war on that decision.

Jordan and I near the top of "Mt. Doom"

As for my future....I'm headed back to Australia for Round 2 tomorrow (July 20th - Happy Birthday Deborah!). The intended plan is to see Sydney and all it has to offer for 5 days or so and then fly to Adelaide to visit some family friends and somehow make my way up to the biggest rock (Ayers) in the world! Get excited people! With any luck, I'll be at my next scheduled destination (Hong Kong) by mid-August. Although it's the 19th of July here, if you read this now (or soon) it would be the 18th back home, meaning my two month anniversary! So tip one back to me being gone and send me an e-mail or two and let me know how happy you've been since I've been gone. : ) Scratch that, just did the math, it's already just barely the 19th back in the States (unless you are in Hawaii or some part of Alaska).