Arrival to Queenstown...

We arrived in Queenstown on Monday afternoon to attend the volunteer meeting for the Winter Festival. The 1hr drive from Wanaka (another smaller mountain town) to Queenstown was astoundingly beautiful as we climbed and descended through the mountains. Queenstown is often called the adventure capital of the world and it is quite evident upon arrival; there is a constant buzz and just walking down the streets gets your adrenaline pumping. It sits on Lake Wakatipu with the Southern Alps looking like they’ll slide into the lake any minute.

A couple of the ski mountains are already open, but the Winter Festival marks the official start of winter. It is a 10 day festival filled with music, parties, races, and a huge assortment of other random activities. There are about 5 new stores on the main street who are frantically trying to finish setting up their merchandise and store front so they’ll be open for the huge influx of visitors.

We are still awaiting our final volunteer assignments, but we hope to get a good mix of work both on the mountain and down in the town center.

As far as work goes, it sounds like we came at the best time possible in a place where there is an endless supply of people wanting work for a very limited number of positions. We’ve met countless people who have been here since the end of May desperately looking for any work at all. We’ve heard from job search agencies and locals that places will start hiring again in the next week. Fingers crossed.

In the meantime, Rachel landed a coveted job as a housekeeper at one of the big hostels, which offers free accommodation in exchange for 3hrs of cleaning each day. Among her tasks are cleaning up spoons from all the shower floors! Sound random? Rachel was perplexed too, so she asked another cleaner what the deal was. The showers in the hostel have water saving faucets that only stay on for 10 seconds at a time. Residents have figured out that if they jam a spoon into the space between the handle, the water will stay on until they’re ready to get out. Sounds silly…but we did it this morning and it worked great.

All for now.

some videos we watched at our orientation

The first video was made by an Australian who was making fun of the way Kiwis speak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVHZwI8pcA

The second video had us ready to bolt from the conference room and get on the road to explore

http://www.youtube.com/PureNewZealand


enjoy

Kaikoura

We arrived to the South Island on June 11 and have had a whirlwind journey so far on our way to Queenstown for the Winter Festival. After a few days in the Marlborough region (more to come soon), we left Nelson on a sunny Tuesday afternoon headed for Kaikoura (Kai = food; koura = crayfish). Kaikoura is one of the best places in the world to see a diverse group of sea mammals, especially sperm whales. The ocean floor drops off drastically to depths of 1000m and as the warm upper currents mix with the colder deep currents, it raises plenty of food and provides a perfect feeding ground for a variety of whales and dolphins. There are also several seal colonies along the rugged coastline.

The folks at the visitor center showed us a 3.5hr walking route, which would take us by a couple of the seal colonies and eventually lead us to the top of beachside cliffs providing a spectacular view of the Kaikoura Mountain range and Pacific coastline. We didn’t make it far on the walk before stopping to indulge at the famous roadside Seafood BBQ trailer where we got an Elephant fish sandwich and seafood chowder.

We continued towards the first seal colony where we hoped to get lucky and spot one swimming around in the shallow rocky water. A few minutes later, we saw a large brown blob scooting its way through the tall grass alongside the road looking determined to cross the road. We were so surprised to see a seal this up-close we were sure it was sick and disoriented. Why would a seal be this far from the water and trying to cross the road…and not nervous in the slightest to see two dumbfounded humans five feet away? We slowly walked by trying not to startle it, but made sure to take tons of pictures. We hi-fived thinking how lucky we’d been to spot a seal on our walk. One minute later, we spotted over 30 seals sunning themselves on the rocks, sand, and even in the grass. We soon found out that hundreds of seals lounging in the area near the road is an everyday occurrence in Kaikoura.

The walking route took a sharp turn up from the beach to the cliff tops tracing the shoreline. The views of the perfectly green pastures backed by the snowcapped mountains were remarkable. We had to cross over several fences that kept the dairy cows in the respective grazing land. Rachel found out the hard way that the fences were electric – I’ve never seen someone dismount from a stepladder so fast. (We discussed how this hiking route could not exist in the U.S. in the same way it does in NZ. Farmers in the US wouldn’t take too kindly to hundreds of tourists walking through their land and alongside their cattle. Also, the courts might overflow with hikers filing lawsuits for getting shocked by the electric fence.) The rest of the hike was free from injury, although our pride was bruised quite a bit after we missed a turn and had to finish our gorgeous hike along the state highway. Once we made it back to the car, we drove 2.5hrs down to Christchurch.

Picasa Web Albums - Stephen

Picasa Web Albums - click here for more photos

Excursions From Taupo

Apologies for the very long delay in updating the blog. We left Taupo 10 days ago and are making our way to Queenstown where we'll volunteer at the Queenstown Winter Festival. We'll be posting more updates from our past adventures while living in Taupo and our current ones. Thanks. (also, be sure to click on the scrolling pictures to the left to view many more pictures from our online google album)

I finally found work 2 weeks after Rachel started a Waterside. During my unemployment, I was a man of leisure and found a couple occasions to drive an hour north to Rotorua for some of the best mountain biking in the Southern Hemisphere. The vast network of trails was reminiscent of our epic mountain biking journey through British Columbia last summer. I also spent several lazy afternoons reading on our deck and looking across the lake towards the mountains. Jon and Amy’s deck is a perfect spot to watch the sun set over the hills. They laughed at me during our first week living with them as I scrambled on railings and hung on to the gutters to get the best sunset shot I could. I tried to capture the perfect sunset to show Rachel how amazing the sunsets were…until I found out her view of the setting sun was even more spectacular and panoramic from her restaurant.
Eventually, I found work with one of the skydiving companies in town. I was hired as part of the ground camera and video editing crew. It is a ton of fun and involves lots of interaction with the passengers before they go up and I am the first to welcome them back to earth, so I see a huge range of emotions with every group. It has been a perfect job, full of excitement. The employees are from all over the world and most have left a previous career to become full time skydivers.

Our first free weekend, we drove 2hrs east to the Hawke’s Bay region to visit the coastal city of Napier. Hawke’s Bay is known as the fruit bowl of NZ because the terrain and climate make a perfect growing location. In addition to growing the most fruit and vegetables in NZ, Hawke’s Bay is one of the finest wine growing areas in the country. There are nearly 40 wineries within a few miles of Napier’s city center.
Napier is unique because the whole city is designed in Art Deco style. There was a tremendous earthquake in the early 1930s and when the time came to rebuild, they decided to do it in a uniform contemporary architectural style, which happened to be Art Deco. The bright colors also help accentuate the beach atmosphere.
It is about 70 miles from Taupo to Napier, but the drive takes about 2 hours because the road twists and turns through hills and along ridges as it passes from the central plateau down to the east coast. You can see the ocean about 40 minutes before you arrive to Napier’s sunny beaches. (Hawke’s Bay receives over 2200 hours of sunshine a year)
The highway drives by several vineyards and ad hoc fruit stands. We stopped by one of the stands to get some fresh golden kiwi fruits, apples, and vegetables. The highway passes over a flat stretch that used to be under water, but the 1931 earthquake exposed more than 200 square miles of sea bed. The relatively new land is actually where many of the vineyards and apple orchards sit.
After grabbing lunch at a café on the promenade, we went for a stroll on the beach. The beach was a little unusual because there was no sand to be found. It was full of smooth, tiny, black rocks that were perfect for skipping across the calm ocean. We tried digging to find any trace of sand, but all we found were small stones.
Next, we drove up the very steep roads to the top of the Bluff Hill for look out over the port and straight down the beach to Cape Kidnappers, home of the world’s largest gannet population.

Our last stop in Napier was supposed to be a winery tour at the Misson Estate winery, which originally started as a French mission and is now the oldest winery in NZ. However, on our way we mistakenly turned into one of the other wineries on the same street – Church Road Winery. We walked in hoping to get on the last tour of the day, but it was overbooked so we settled for a wine tasting in the restaurant. This was only our fourth wine tasting ever, so we appreciated the sommelier helping us identify the flavors we were tasting while giving a very detailed history of the winery and surrounding area. After our tasting, we decided we’d try for a tour at our original destination at Mission Estate Winery. The winery is perched on a hill overlooking the Bay with a spectacular entrance passing between two plots of vines along a tree lined drive. Mission Estate didn’t host tours, but we guided ourselves through the historic building and gardens.
We got back in the car and meandered through the streets of Napier while eating our fresh fruits before heading back to Taupo.

Welcome to Taupo

We drove 50 miles south to Taupo on a Saturday morning to watch the Taupo Ironman and take a break from job searching in Rotorua. The drive into Taupo is stunning, as you see the three massive volcanoes of Tongariro National Park sitting neatly behind the equally impressive Lake Taupo. The views across the lake were so striking that we decided to stay in Taupo for a bit. Conveniently, all of our possessions live neatly in the van, so the only items left in our Rotorua hostel were two carrots and some milk. Taupo is smack dab in the middle of the North Island and it sits on a lake the size of Singapore, which was created by an enormous volcano eruption 1800 years ago. The eruption was so large – more than ten times the eruptions of Mount St. Helens and Krakatoa combined – the Romans and Chinese both documented dramatic changes in the skies which helped provide an exact date for the eruption of 186AD.

The huge influx of Ironman participants and fans from all over the world occupied all accommodations in Taupo, so we were forced to sleep in our van. We parked alongside four other campervans overlooking the lake and nestled in for the night. I woke up at 3am to a flashlight in the eyes. The city of Taupo employs a person to drive around to all desirable sleeping locations for campervan owners/renters and put a friendly notice on all illegally parked vehicles. No threats, no warnings – just a pleasant suggestion on better places to sleep. I took the notice to heart and went back to sleep.

We took a break from watching the Ironman on Saturday to quickly drive to Tongariro National Park (home to Mordor and Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings) and explore the volcanic area. We made it just in time for an amazing sunset and I was overwhelmed with a renewed excitement for our travels in NZ. We snapped a hundred photos of the scenery hoping to capture the beauty, but still feel we were unsuccessful.

We spent Sunday exploring more of Taupo and visited Huka Falls, Craters of the Moon thermal area, and the somewhat famous Prawn Park where you can spend an entire day fishing for giant shrimp with a fishing pole. We opted for the kill-a-prawn golf experience, where we tried to hit a golf ball into one of 4 hoops in hopes of winning a cash prize. No luck.

The Waikato River flows peacefully for several miles from Lake Taupo until it reaches roaring Huka Falls before continuing northwest to the Tasman Sea. Huka Falls is a violent 33 foot waterfall that appears much shorter because of its width and ferocious churning. The river is 200 feet wide in places and it is suddenly forced into a 25 foot wide rock-walled channel. The combination of the majestic blue water and the sheer force of the water had everyone mesmerized in silence. There is a popular kayaking spot upriver from the falls and I hoped to see a kayaker try to paddle through the falls from my distorted view upstream. As soon as we walked into full view and read the anatomy of the falls, I realized it would be a death wish to try and paddle it.

After two lazy but enjoyable days, we decided it was time to do something a little wilder. Taupo is unique for skydiving because it is the only place in NZ where you can jump from 15,000 feet, which is actually the highest jump you can do as a tandem skydive (the passenger is harnessed and attached to a skydive master/pilot). From 15,000 feet, you can see the curvature of the Earth and on a clear day you can see both of NZ’s coasts. It is a 60 second freefall with a 4 min canopy ride. Because of the consistently good weather there are three skydive companies here, and the price wars between them make for one of the cheapest skydives in NZ as well.
The sleek flyer for Skydive Taupo bragged that they’d pick us up in a limousine, let us choose our own music for our video, and offer us a beer upon landing. We’re not ones to pass up a ride in limo, so we booked it. The driver picked us up in front of the hostel in a white 1990s err…limo with the boomerang antenna half-heartedly attached with black electrical tape. We hopped into the torn and tattered seats and hoped the quality of the parachutes were a little higher than this. The driver gave us the spiel that it was much more likely that we’d get injured on the way to airport than during the skydive...
We arrived at the airport safely, so it looked like it was going to be a good day. They showed us a sample video of the skydive and, as expected, had us sign our lives away. They put us in jumpsuits and harnesses while we watched others land and walk back into the hangar with faces of exuberance, panic, or shock. Before we knew it, we climbed into a bright pink plane and took off for 15,000 feet.
The door opened and Rachel and her tandem master scooted towards the door. We looked at each other and communicated through an awkward smile: “I love you. Hope to see you on the ground. If not, good-bye.” And then she was gone. It was one of the scariest moments of my life, but I didn’t have long to think about it because in less than a second, I was sitting on the edge of the plane looking straight down. [They say you can see the curve of the Earth and both coasts from 15,000 feet, but the only thing I saw was the ground directly below me.] The first second of the freefall was the scariest part to me – I totally freaked out. There was absolute silence and weightlessness. It felt like I was falling all alone. A second later, the sound and feeling of the wind rushing by eased my nerves and I loved the rest. After 60 seconds, the tandem master pulled the parachute and we started a the scenic float back to Earth with amazing views of the lake, Tongariro National Park, and the surrounding countryside (at this point we were at 4000 feet, so it was too low to see anything else).
I looked over to see Rachel flying just 50 feet away and we yelled hello and gave an air hi-five. We made it safely to the ground and ran to give each other a hug. Rachel was laughing hysterically and this continued for about 20 more minutes. Rachel had to sit down several times once back in the hangar because she was laughing too hard. She was walking and shaking so nervously that the staff had to relocate Rachel outside because she was freaking out the customers who were waiting their turn to jump. In the end, it was an amazing experience and I think we’ll be doing it at least one more time…

We finished the day by walking to a natural hot spring that meets the cool waters of the Waikato River. We had a perfect view of the sun setting over the hills while soaking in the hot water.

Unlike Rotorua, searching for jobs in Taupo was much more fruitful and helped to restore our self-confidence. We had been rejected so many times in the previous weeks that we started to wonder if we’d ever find work in NZ. Rachel was offered a job as a waitress at one of the nicest restaurants in town on her first outing. Waterside is in the most vibrant part of town, and as the name indicates, it is right on the water overlooking the lake with a guaranteed beautiful sunset every night.

My job search lasted a little longer and I was put in charge of finding our home in Taupo for the next few months. We responded to a couple of ads on NZ’s version of Ebay and I visited a couple while Rachel was hard at work. The second place I went by was perched on a hill overlooking the lake and within walking distance to the town center. It was perfect. Jon and Amy invited us into their home for the extent of our stay in Taupo. They are a young couple with similar interests and we’ve already shared some great memories with them.

Rotorua

All driving directions in Rotorua begin with “you’ll smell it before you see it.” Rotorua is one of the most active geothermal areas in the world and it is littered with boiling mud pools, hot mineral baths, and cracks in the Earth spewing steam. All of these cracks allow the smell of sulphur to seep out from everywhere, so you truly do smell it before you see it. The countless water sources mixed with the year-round warmth provided by the geothermal activity made it a perfect place for a large group of Maori to settle and it is still strongly influenced by the Maori culture. It also has adventures around every corner.
We called a hostel and requested the “Steal Deal” package which included a pass to the Polynesian Spa (35 naturally heated mineral pools ranging from 97 to 110 degrees), a white water rafting trip down the Kaituna River (Maori for ‘Eel Food’) complete with a 23 foot waterfall – the biggest commercially run waterfall in the world, and a ticket up the Skyline Gondola with 5 rollercoaster-like luge rides down three different tracks ranging from a 1.5 mile scenic route to the screaming fast ½ mile long advanced course.
We expected to stay 3-4 days in Rotorua before heading to the Hawke’s Bay region to find work picking apples/grapes for a few weeks. However, after one day in Rotorua we decided to find work and stay for a few months. It is an active city on the shores of Lake Rotorua and is surrounded by beautiful parks and gardens and it seems to host at least one event or festival each weekend.
We woke up for our rafting trip to a drizzling morning. All of my prior rafting experience involved frigid waters from snow melt and the thought of rafting in the rain with freezing river water sounded miserable. We crossed our fingers that they would cancel the trip, but no such luck. The bus picked us up from the hostel and the bus driver/rafting guide soon relieved our biggest fear – the river was actually over 80 degrees thanks to warm lake the river flowed from. Once on the river, we looked forward to getting flipped out of the raft so we could float in the warm water.
We were given a quick 3 minute lesson on how to paddle and what to do in the likely event that the boat flipped over on one of the three waterfalls – a very encouraging start. The trip only lasted one hour, but it was a very intense hour filled with rapid after rapid. It concluded with a 23 foot waterfall that frequently flips even the best guides. Right before plummeting over the edge, our guide yelled for us to drop to the bottom of the raft and tuck our heads. Our boat was the first to go over and we made it successfully. We watched from below as each of the next four boats flipped over, sending the passengers literally flying in every direction. We had a good laugh as we helped rescue the passengers while they waited for their boat to turned right side up.

Rotorua was originally set up as a spa town due to the multitude of hot pools in the area, so the obvious activity after rafting was to head over to the Polynesian Spa to soak our cold and sore muscles in the hot mineral pools. We were greeted by a Korean man who was eager to practice his English and trivia skills by giving both Rachel and me 30 facts about our home state. We gradually worked our way from the coolest to hottest of the Spa’s 35 pools. Even the coolest pool was 97 degrees, so I frequently hit up the extravagant outdoor cold shower that was beautifully designed with red, green and blue stones in the wall.

We headed to the Skyline Gondola in the morning, where we took a Gondola up the side of a mountain and got a breathtaking view of the town, Lake Rotorua, and the surrounding mountains and forests. From the moment we arrived, people told us how much fun the luge rides in Rotorua and Queenstown were. All pictures of luging look incredibly unimpressive and ours are no different. Pictures make this activity look like a lame carnival ride, but it is the complete opposite. The luge ride is basically a motorless go-kart that follows a winding track down a mountain and it can easily reach speeds over 30mph. As with a couple things we’ve discovered in NZ- the thrill of the ride is paramount and safety is secondary. There were no guard rails and with lanes 4 times as wide as a luge, racing was not discouraged. Rachel and I had a blast and survived with little more than a minor case of whiplash from an overeager 12 year old at the finishing line.

The next week was spent searching for jobs and exploring the city and its surroundings. The recession has not really hit NZ yet, but the fear of it has caused hiring freezes and with no hopeful leads, we drove 50miles south to Taupo. Taupo has been our base for the past month and met some wonderful people and have had some amazing experiences.