Mar 2008

Sadly, our time in Guano has come to an unfortunate end. We planed on selling her (for slightly less than the buying price), but on our way back to Queenstown last week to meet up with Brody’s parents, she decided she was tired of traveling the winding roads of New Zealand, and died just before her 300,000 birthday. She couldn’t have picked a better final resting place, as she blew a head gasket in the middle of wine country. Thankfully, she gave us a few last breaths as we crept her back into town to find out that her hospital bills were far to expensive for our tastes. As a registered organ donor, we gave Guano’s parts to a local mechanic in hopes of helping other camper vans in need.

This event has left us less than stranded. Thankfully, we have Adam, his tent, and his car to get us around NZ until April 14th. It has been an interesting and extremely tight squeeze into Adam’s little Subaru, but I’m sure it will make for some good bonding time in the weeks to come. We even tried to give little Guano a break from her daily stresses as we checked into our first hotel of the trip (that’s right, I said hotel, not hostel). Brody surprised me for our 4-year anniversary (! – on both 4 years, and Brody’s surprise) and rented a hotel room so we could sleep in a real bed, in a real room, with its own shower and TV! It was a wonderful break from the cramped quarters of a van. We both agreed that Wanaka has a totally different feel when you're in a room with a view.

Being with Brody’s parents the following weekend was also a much-needed experience. It was wonderful to be around parents again, who make the decisions for you and spoil you. We were treated to several yummy meals, and they even took us with them on the Shotover Jet (a jet boat ride up the Shotover Canyon in Queenstown). I wish I had photos to show you because it was fantastic. I think it’s the closest we’ll get to a real “adventure” activity in NZ. Brody’s mom was all about the jet boat ride and had her hands in the air the whole time like we were on a roller coaster.

We just finished up our last week in Wanaka – celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and squeezing in a few hikes before we left the area (maybe forever!). Last Thursday, I took a hike all by my lonesome up Mt. Roy. I’ve had the hike recommended to me, but I failed to look up a description of the hike until after I suffered through all the pain and misery it could dole out (Lonely Planet explains the hike as a trail for fit folks in search of a good view, that climbs nearly 5,000 feet in 2.5 miles). It was a hot, shadeless trail that went straight up the side of a mountain. The view was, indeed, fabulous, but I can’t figure out if the walk was worth it. A few days later (after my blisters and sore quads recovered), the boys and I headed up another recommended path to Diamond Lake for another great view of the town and lake. This was also no easy walk in the woods. I think Adam correctly described it was, “Death on a trail” as we scurried down steep, rocky switchbacks. We’ve come to realize that while the NZ Dept. of Conservation always overestimates the amount of time it takes to complete a hike, they always down play the degree of difficulty. We made the most of our trip and decided to take a bunch of silly photos at the top.

Just after leaving Wanaka, we headed down to Milford Sound, which we found out isn’t actually a sound (carved by rivers), but is, instead, a fjord (carved by glaciers). I’m not sure who named the area Milford Sound, especially since its located in “Fjordland.” Regardless, it was probably the best place we’ve been so far. All three of us are agreed on that fact. The day was absolutely perfect, especially since the fjord is located in one of the rainiest places on earth, and we were able to see the tops of the surrounding craggy peaks. I’m sure no day on Milford Sound is ugly, since when the rain comes, waterfalls pour down the sides of the mountains. There is no soil to absorb the water, so the falls start about 30 minutes after the rain, and cascade out of every little nook until an hour or so after the rain stops. I’m sure this sight is far more common than the one we witnessed, since on average, this area gets 7 meters of rain a year. The mountains themselves are extremely rugged and absolutely covered in lush rainforest, with the exception of an occasional bare spot resulting from a tree avalanche. They just explode out of the Sound (since the majority of NZ is located along tectonic plates, all the mountains are super steep since they grow at insane rates). The mountains in Milford grow about as fast as your fingernails, and the area experiences about 7 earthquakes a day as a result of the constantly moving ground. Our big red boat took us through the sound to the Tasman Sea, stopping off at an underwater observatory where we could get an idea of what sea life is like under the surface. Because of the freshwater that pours into the sound every time it rains, and the fact that the water doesn’t get mixed up because its sheltered from the huge waves and swells the rest of the ocean experiences, there is a layer of freshwater on top of the salt water. This fresh water filters out the sunlight, making coral and other creatures think they are deeper than they are. Therefore, they grow in unusually shallow water. Milford was a very interesting place – I felt like a little kid on a school trip trying to take notes and remember facts.