Jan 30: Queenstown, Millford Sounds, Adventuresville

Here are some fun facts about Queenstown:

When you're in New Zealand and people ask you if you've gone to Queenstown, they're really asking whether or not you've gone bungie jumping, canyon diving, or flown a jet. Those are just some of your many x-treme entertainment options in Queenstown. 

I asked Matt why any city in the world would be want to be known for hosting the most extreme sports in the world. Aren't the liabilities off the charts, I asked?

"No," Matt said, "Because there are no litigation laws."

This seemed like a dumb answer, because I'm from America, where you can sue people for hurting your feelings. And people have actually passed out and died from some of these activities. Seems like the place is rife withe the possibility of being sued for gross negligence. 

"Not so," said Matt, "no litigation laws." 

He offered more explanation, but I didn't really follow. We opted for the less extreme activities, like luging and jet boating. It seemed smartest to stick to ground-floor activities. 

A Quiet Day In Queenstown:

We were feeling a little subdued after our romp at the Asylum Lodge. There is no way extreme sports can top the friends you make in haunted houses and the dolphins you swim with surfing in secluded beaches. Nonetheless, we seized the day and took a series of gondolas to the top of a very, very steep mountain up to a luge spot. 

Luging is like go-carting but cooler. You sit in a sled with handle bars and break by letting go or pulling back on the handle bars. Because the mountain top is really steep, you've got no trouble getting momentum. We bought three rides and I passed Matt on the third. It was awesome. 

Got done with our business at the top of the mountain and went to the jet boat place. A jet boat is a lot like a roller coaster car on water. It's this massive flat-bottomed boat that can go in water as shallow as 10 cm (like 4 inches.) And the steering is insanely sensitive, so the driver was able to buzz by the sides of these cliffs and do 360-degree turns in the middle of the narrowest cavern I've ever seen. Very, very fun. 

Fjords!:

Yesterday we decided to pile into the car and drive 5 hours to Millford Sounds and back. This is in the Fjordlands, somewhere I really, really wanted to see on this trip but didn't think I would. And it is INCREDIBLY worth it. On the drive there, we saw glaciers, lakes, planes, PAROTS (seriously, there's some kind of rock-parrot that lives in New Zealand that's the southern-most dwelling parrot in the world, and it's a weird, mossy looking little fella about the size of a large rooster), waterfalls, caves, and the Tasman Sea. Matt got us tickets for a ferry/cruise/boat tour of the fjords (which I renamed MillFjiord Sounds...haha, get it?) and we also got a rare glimpse of some of the yellow-eyed penguins. The ferry driver pulled a stunt like our jet-boat driver when he nudged the boat underneath a waterfall. But that was fun also. 

And That Brings Us To Today:

Today we're leaving the Crown Plaza and headed towards the Franz Josef Glaciers, and will hostel-hoping some more. We're probably going to swing by some wineries on our way out, as the Otago region is also Winesville, NZ. 

Much love, and I'll talk to you guys later. Ems.

Jan 28: Small towns, big rooms, buskers, penguins, and haunted hostels.

Ok, we've got a lot to cover today.

We arrived in Christchurch and mostly just crashed. It was windy, cold, rainy, and there were no buskers. And once again, nowhere good to eat or grab a beer. Most of the day was spent bookshop hopping and once we destroyed the umbrella the hotel had given us, we shuddered back inside. Matt and I figured we would just leave the next day when the weather reports seemed to promise much of the same. Mat called downstairs to see what tomorrow would looks like. 

"He says it's 'turning better,'" Matt said once he got off the phone. "But he didn't say what that means."

But while the day started out soggy, by midday it was New Zealand gorgeous, with a bright blue sky and warm i the sun and just right for a jacket in the shade. And the buskers had come out, and a lot of good acts seemed to be playing later that night. So we decided to stick it out for another night in the greater Christchurch area, really commit this time to finding a good place to eat and grab a beer and head out the next day. 

Finding a place:

The hostels in Christchurch were all packed, so we were worried we would be boned out of finding a place to stay for the night. Unwilling to go back to the hotel (because that's cheating and expensive) we found a place about 17 k's away from the city, in a little harbor town called Lyttleton, known around the world for it's Timeball. And while we never got a proper description of what a Timeball is, we learned that it sets every day at 1:00 p.m.

The place we found, Tunnelvision Backpackers, was attached to a small gourmet food store and cafe, so we had not only the best night, but the best food. Glorious.

Carnies:

The buskers were out and about. The first guy we saw swallowed swards and looked like an underfed version of Chris Angel. Two American's did a cool juggling act where the man walked a tightrope across his wife's open legs and juggled knives. a little intense, considering he was also wearing a chicken suit. Third lady we say had a hilarious communist schtick, and berated her volunteers the entire time while singing "I did it my way."

He found our hostel, then came back, figuring we'd see the stand-ups at seven, but then were told that part of the festival was in a different city, about 15 minutes away. "Fuckin' a," we said, then got some dinenr and tried to figure out if we felt like driving that far. We did, and when we got there the doors had already closed and we had to talk our way in, telling the lady all sorts of things: "We really want to be here, but we got lost, and we came to Christchurch all the way from america, and we didn't know it was out of town..." and eventually she let us in for a twenty. Hilarious show, good times for all, so glad we went.

Driving to Dunedin:

We stopped in a small town that I think is called Orahua but is known for it's penguins. We learned that the further south you go, the older the island is; this is the part of New Zealand that was settled by the Scottish, because the mountains an the ocean reminded them of home. Also, they couldn't push their way north, where land is a little more stable and easy to roam, because the Maori (pronounced "mowry" with a rolled r, thanks Dad) wouldn't let them. 

Much like Christchurch, the town of Orahua was just as unwelcoming. Spooky, gloomy, wet, and rainy. But we got some amazing dinner that sustained us until morning when we had it again for breakfast. The place we stayed in was an old hotel from 1860's, and was even more fun to stay in than Lyttleton. The guy was super helpful, and the next day directed us to a cool place to stay in outside of Dunedin, the Asylum Lodge. 

"Wonder why it's called 'Asylum,'" we asked ourselves eventually. We settled ourselves thinking it called that becuase the place must be a safe haven, a bit of a pastoral, restorative hideaway. 

The Asylum Lodge:

After driving past it once and going about 20 k's out of the way, we find our way up this beautiful driveway and through a large swing gate. This is already way different than any place we've stayed, being totally in the country. We drive past six or seven beautiful chestnut horses and two huge white buildings. one is filled with old cars, ford falcons, and thunderbirds and volkswagon vans. Another is just empty, but it looks like a large, vacant stable. We drive up next to a next of little chicks and a hen and a rooster. 

"This is pretty," we say. 

We check inside, and have to leave our shoes at the door. We get a tour of the place, which is big, roomy, bright and spacious. There's a full-sized palm tree that's taken over the living room, the walls are a bright cheery yellow, and our room has a chest of drawers. I swoon, because I miss drawers. There's surfing for $10 in the morning. 

"Awesome!" we say. 

We decide to drive two girls into town, two nice enough American girls who've finsihed with their stay and were moving on. As we're driving to the gate, one of them turns around and says "Hey! THERE'S the morgue!"

"The what?" we ask. 

"That's the old morgue the owners told us about, where they used to put the patients," one of them said. "Didn't they tell you what this place used to be?"

"...No."

"THAT'S why it's called The Asylum Lodge," she said. 

"...Oh."

"...You guys want to check it out?" one asked. "We totally don't have to if you're in a hurry--"

No, we say, it would be interesting, we're up for it, and it's the last day these girls are in town, and exploring it could be kind of...fun? Whatever, we're game. 

We walk inside, and it succeeds in creeping the shit out of us. Happy to leave, we drive into Dunedin and drop the girls off. 

Dunedin:

...Is very, very pretty. There's an old town square, called the Pentagon, because it's not shaped like a square. Got 8 sides, you see. Anyways, it's quite gorgeous, because on one end is an old, gorgeous cathedral, and on the other is the oldest train station in New Zealand, both of which look like gingerbread house. We eat at a tapas bar which easily has the best food we've eaten in NZ. Service was a tad slow, so three and a half hours later we roll back.

Some Haunted Tomfoolery:

we roll back to the Asylum Lodge at 12:30, unaware of any curfew. Once we arrive at the gate, we see a huge padlock. We swear softly once, and then wonder what to do. Matt turns to me and says "I think it's pretty clear what we do."

"Sleep in the car?"

"No, we got to jump the fence."

Matt decides to go over the fence and try to find someone who's awake that will unlock the gate so that we can pull the car up. I check the clock and tell myself that if he doesn't come back in twenty minutes...I'll think of something. I don't have my phone, so I can't call anyone, I just have to think of something.

Lucky for me, he comes back with a flashlight. No one's up, but he's found a light, and we'll just have to jump and walk. 

"Whatever you do, don't look in the windows."

So I look in the windows.

Pretty spooky. 

We survive, make it into the room, and fall asleep. 

Queenstown:

So now, we're here, in Queenstown, adventure capital of the world. Matt's dad decided to be very, very nice to us and we're staying a Crown Plaza suite. It's quite a switch, and it's a little weird to be in the lap of luxury in the craziest city in the world trying to get a little R&R. Spent most of today getting errends done, paying the first of God knows how many tuition fees will wind up paying, hope it's not much, and possibly doing some more laundry. 

Super exciting!

Much love to you guys, and I'll talk to you later. 

Ems. 

Jan 21: Trains, road trips, hikes, and Ze Germans.

I'd first like to apologize for any upset stomachs and sleepless nights I might have caused by not posting recently. Suffice to say, a lot has happened. 

Leaving Wellington:

After parting ways with Ryan, the buddy I made on the train ride from Auckland to Wellington, I stuck around in Wellington for a few days, getting sicker and getting over my burn--not attending the Police concert, much to Dad's disappointment. I booked a ferry from Wellington to Picton the next day at seven. 

Since check-out at the YHA hostel was at eleven, I had some time to burn. Lucky me, I was able to check my bags early at the ferry station while i founds something to do. Imagine how extra lucky I felt when I looked across the street and saw New Zealand's government buildings. There they were, towering before me: The Beehive, New Zealand's seat of executive and representative power, the house of commons, and the parliamentary library. Tours were an hour long, so I figured that was a good way to burn some time and prime myself for the two political studies classes I'll be taking in the semester:

Highlights of the Parliamentary Tour:

1. New Zealand wants to make laws and put them into practice efficiently. Nothing shall get in the way of this, not even it's own government, which was why the high form of the representative body (the equivalent of the British House of Lords) was abolished in the 1950's. "They just didn't need it anymore," according to the tour guide.

2. the Maori themed conference room is where most negotiating between parties takes place. It's decorated with traditional and contemporary maori artist carvings, and is quiet stately. A lot of maori and english gets spoken in the room, again, according to the tour guide, which is why there are special booths for interpreters in the room.

3. Natural disasters seem to burden it's government. Both the parliamentary library and the house burned down in separate fires, and had to be rebuilt. New Zealand's founding documents were lost and suffered considerable water damage in a lock box for years, and the originals are all but completely destroyed.

Ferry Ride:

...Was gorgeous. Cold and windy, but gorgeous. First you go out among the islands and the leave the North island, and you start to wonder whether or not the south island is really prettier than the north, because it's been so nice. What if it's just feel of hippies? What if the mountains aren't as nice as everyone says?

It's even more amazing, though. It was dusk, and colder and windier than before, but floating in at night made the sounds look like a Scandinavian dream town. 

I got to the hostel at night, and when I woke up, Picton had changed. It's kind of an ugly industrial town, contrasting horribly with the incredible beautiful islands surrounding it. The sounds are beautiful; the next day I took a four hour hike on the snout track. That was killer beautiful. Walked all the way back and fell asleep. Met up with a guy name Matt from San Francisco who was going to drive to Christchurch the next day, the same day I was going to take a train, which was leaving early the next day.

Would up being good for me, as I unwittingly missed my train, and he was willing to drive me down there. Which also wound up being better than the train ride. The road to Christchurch hugs the coast line: black sand beaches and seals. Lots and lots of seals. We got out of the car and took a lot of pictures of them. 

We made it down to Christchurch and had the best food we've eaten in New Zealand. I've decided that New Zealand has probably the worst food of anywhere I've been. It's pastey, floury, blob-esque and gross. Wierd considering it's organics-ville. I had seafood stew a few days ago and felt like I was eating sweaty seafood in bread dough. Maybe we just hadn't eaten in a long time and it tasted amazing. Either way, it tasted amazing. 

I love you guys, and I'll write more tomorrow. I am sleepy now though, and will try to write sooner. And I don't know how to help you out with the phone calls. That's my number. I'll swing by a Vodaphone outlet and see what the deal is. 

Good night, sweet dreams. Love, Emily. 

....And I just lost that last long entry I just wrote.

...Perfect. 

Well, you should have been there. Several thousand characters of beautiful description of Northland scenery, hip stuff in Wellington, the buddy I made on the train, the sickness, the health; I'd rewrite it all, but I'm to cranky right now. So much for auto-save. 

Yeeeeeeesh I'm tired!

A thirteen hour train ride, disturbingly beautiful scenery, a buddy from the Bay of Islands, and wandering up and down Wellington...I'm exhausted, hungry, and stuffy, so this post will be short. I did figure out how to upload photos on iPhoto, and am trying to import an entire album rather than al 130 my hand, but no dice so far. 

I'm going to try to grab a ferry into Picton, the city on the south island that receives ships crossing the Cook Strait (the strait between the North and South islands). But I also got a wicked sunburn, despite using what I thought was plenty of sunscreen, so I don't know how keen I am on hauling a bag on burned shoulders and traveling. May spend tomorrow relaxing and trying to upload photos. 

And Skyping. If you guys can really put aside some time tomorrow to Skype, then let's give each other a call (I'm guessing around 7, 8 your time? Just lemme know.)

Love, Em.

The Way to Wellington

I booked a train ride to Wellington that leaves tomorrow at 7:25 AM and arrives twelve hours later. I'm staying at the YHA Hostel, which I hope is a little smaller than the slick Auckland Centeal Backpacker's. This time, booked a female-only room with 6 other beds.

Love, Ems

Jan 14: Departures, arrivals, roommates, medicine, sushi.

Traveling:

The first leg of the journey took me to Los Angeles Airport, where my friend Walker picked me up and we drove to Redlands for the evening. Walker, who woke up with a bronchial infection, asked if it was ok to spend the night in Redlands. Not sure if I wanted too, he pointed out that people wanted to see me and that it would be easier on him, since he had a class to attend and another to teach. My friend Hurshini was teaching his first class Effects of Consumerism on Cultures. 

"Won't it be distracting if I'm there on her first day of class?" I asked Walker. "I'd have a hard time keeping focused."

He thought it over. "You should definitely come to class."

After Hurshini's class (which went quite well, despite a semi-slow start brought on by feminine gushing) I got dinner with a few other friends, who hadn't known I was coming. Then I sat in on Walker's class--Magazine Practicum--next to Nyssa, in the common room of one of the dorms. Good conversation was had quietly between introductions and questions about class and the syllabus. Good drinks and good vibes were shared for the rest of the evening, as well as a hearty round of Flo Rida's "Low" (Special thanks to Ashley, Jordan, Alecia, and everyone else who helped imortalize the moment!)

After spending the night on Walker's couch, we left the next day for LAX at 3:00 p.m. in order to get to the 9:45 p.m. flight to Auckland. With plenty of time, we managed to hit every major traffic jam and still have time for a bathroom break at his father's house. Super-sport that he is, Walker agreed to have one last drink with me in the airport despite having gotten sicker during the night. We parted ways at about 8:00 p.m., and I made my way to my gate. 

It seems that LAX is busier after dark. I was almost worried I might not make it through security in time, remembering the time-consuming check-point at DFW (with it's bomb sniffing, particle-collection booth and mega x-ray that takes twenty minutes to capture an image...) Luckily it was one of the older machines and I made it through in about five minutes. Got to the gate, which was crowded with New Zealanders returning home from summer vacation, and American's flying in for their own reasons. I saw one family with two young girls and a dad who brought is guitar case. I immediately thought of our family vacations. Once on board I sat next to a thirty-something Canadian going to school in Brisbane, Australia and an American from Georgia going to a job interview in Brisbane. Eleven and a half hours later--spent reading, sleeping, chatting, reading, sleeping, watching a movie, reading, sleeping--we finally landed in Auckland, at about 7:15 a.m. 

Arriving: (*Note to Mom, Dad, and Sarah: most of this information was included in that e-mail, so feel free to skip this part :)

I got on a bus that goes from the airport into the city. It's about a 30-40 minutes ride, and it goes through some of the Auckland suburbs, and through some incredible hills (Gretchen: this looks exactly like the land I pretended we'd run away too in those make-believe games.) I made it to the Hostel by 9:00, but the room wouldn't be ready until later. So I dropped off my massive bags and walked around. I wandered down Queen St. and to the Quay, where ferry's dock and depart for the Bay of Islands, further north. I went back south on Albert St. and found my way to Albert park, where I got my first chance to lie down and relax. 

The park is on top of a perfect hill, and after making several hairpin turns up a steep slop, through a grove of crazy trees, you emerge on a hilltop thats eye-level with tree tops and high-rises and office buildings. The perspective is unnerving; the buildings are about as large as the tree tops themselves. The park itself contains sailing rigs and statues; sorry to say I didn't stop to look at the plaques or read the names. I went straight to a patch of shade to take of my shoes, lie down and think about being in New Zealand. I listened to some music (Animal collective and The Islands seem to go well with this town) and read some of my book, and felt something distinctly peck at my foot. "That couldn't be what I think it is," I thought, and turned around to see a little brown sparrow look back and forth at me and my foot. I gasped and went back to reading, wondering if it would happen again. I felt some grass twitch and feather move on the sole of my foot, and the little guy pecked again twice. It was way to precious. 

Amid Albert Park in the University of Auckland. It being Sunday and the middle of summer, there weren't many students around. The university buildings are spread out and intermingle with the surrounding neighborhood and the park. It's gorgeous. Each building is distinct. There's no unifying architectural design, which is refreshing. It makes it feel like a community rather than a facility, or a series of office buildings (Anyone who's seen the UT Arlington campus knows what I mean.) The music and art complex (Dad: I forgot to mention this, but one of the music facilities os called "the music shack." Thought that was cute.) have their own courtyards, the political studies buildings are a group of four French or English colonial-style houses, and the engineering building looks like a cement high school. The student life building is a raised building with peaked roofs. Settled among more crazy long-limbed trees, it looks like a tree house. I saw the Craccum office from afar (Craccum is the name of the student magazine that I hope to work for once I'm studying there) and it looked love-worn, if not shabby. 

I wandered up and down a few more places, looking for a cell-phone store, but none were open. I asked about for one, but the store merchants told me none of them would be open. "It's Sunday," they said, "so they'll all be closed." I thought that was weird, but after coming across four Vodaphone store outlets, all closed, I figured they were right. 

I went back to the hostel at 12:30, but the room still wasn't ready, but they said it would be by 1:00. So I went to New World Market, New Zealand's super-market chain, to pick up some toiletries. It was a 40 minute walk in the other direction, towards Victoria Park. 

This is a little nicer, less touristy part of town. Victoria Park itself is flatter, more useful for playing sport. I walked the 40 minutes back, and by then my room was ready and I was able to take a shower. I sent a long e-mail to my parents, and by then it was time to go get some food. 

Dinner:

After getting my stuff back together upstairs, I set off to get some food. Once I stepped outside, I began to cough. "Oh shit," I thought. I sounded like Walker. I worried I would come down with his infection, but as it was about 5:00 by then, all the pharmacies were closed, and I really didn't feel like walking the 40 minutes back to New World. I had brought my book with me, and left to go get some sushi at one of the few places I knew would be open. It was decent, but since I had some congestion I couldn't really taste anything. Once done, I went back home, and decided I better figure out if I really did have a roommate or not, as I'd feel really bad if I got someone sick. 

It turns out I did. A guy named Andreas from Germany had apparently already been living in the room for about 5 days, but I had no idea since the room was so clean. In fact, the only other sign of a human being was a padlock on one of the safes in the room, but I thought that was a courtesy lock and I could ask for the key if I needed it.

Feeling sicker, and not wanting to think about who this roommate was or what he would be like, and thinking I could always get a single here or somewhere else, I decided to hang out in my room and read. Just in case this "Andreas" came in and I needed to bail quickly, I got all my stuff together so that it'd be easy to carry all at once. 

About an hour later, I heard a key at the door and met my roommate, a quiet 18 year old from the south of Germany, who goes by Andy. He'd been in Auckland for five days, and was here at this hostel the whole time, waiting for he airport to locate his missing luggage. He took a shower and invited me to go out to dinner with him and a few other people from the hostel, which I might of done if I wasn't feeling sick and thought I might be pretty contagious. We talked a little while longer and then he left and I knocked out from about 8:30 till nine the next morning. 

Getting more essentials:

Considering how early I'd gone to sleep, I got up semi-early this morning. I pulled on a dress and an undershirt--stuff that was pretty easy to pull on--and went outside, my head throbbing. And there was so much more people out and around than yesterday, it being a Monday. went across the pharmacy and picked up some tussin, Ibuprofen, and a multivitamin for my immune system. If it gets worse, there's the names of some doctors posted in the hostel who take walk-ins and backpackers. I went to get some breakfast to down my medicine in, and got some eggs, bacon and tomatoes, with a swirl of Vegimite. That junk is salty. It tastes like bad soy sauce. The rest was great, though, and I got enough in me to take with the new medicine. once done and paid for, I went to the Vodophone a few blocks down and picked up my new phone (Important info: my new phone number is 021-065-8309. You can reach me by dialing this: 011+64+9+021-065-8309. If you ever get confused, check this website: www.countrycodes.com) 

After that, I realized I didn't have a way of taking my tussin, which was measured in mL. So I swung by the Pharmacy again, and picked up a dispenser, some make up, and face wash. I went to an electronics store after realizing I didn't have an iPod USB port or wall charger, and then went back home. 

I was starting to feel a little better, and I went back to the room to change and put my new stuff up. I ran into Andy, who helped me figure out my phone number and showed me where I could get a padlock for my stuff. 

And that's where I'm at now. My plans for today are to figure out how to get to Wellington tomorrow, and what to do once I'm there. I'll be looking through the Wwoof book and the lonely planet guide for some other information. I'd like to hit up a beach; wanted to today, but I missed the 8:30 a.m. bus. 

Trains depart tomorrow for Wellington at about 7:30 in the morning and get there at 7:00 p.m. So I'll probably walk down to the train station and see if there's room for a ticket. There's lots of other options, though; there's something called a Flexi-Pass, which I'll look into. 

That's all for now. Big love to all, and I'll post again soon to let you know how things are.

Ems

The Day Before The Day I Leave

Hi, family! Hello, friends! Welcome to the first entry. 

If you're reading this, you know who I am and where I'm about to go, roughly. For some of you, this little blog will be something of an improvised tracking device. Others may enjoy it for little more than light reading. Regardless, I decided to keep a blog for as much my benefit as the people I love and who love me.

Well, New Zealand, yes? How am I getting there, what am I packing, and what's the first plan?

The trip officially starts tomorrow, but I won't arrive in Auckland until the 13th. Walker, a friend of mine from California, has opened his doors and I'll be breaking up the journey by spending the night in L.A. and leaving from there on the 11th for N.Z. at 9:30 p.m. I'll land in Auckland and will have six weeks before classes start at the university to explore the southern island during the summer.

The last few days have been a mad-dash to make sure every piece of paper and only the most crucial bits of cloth are in there right place and have made it into my pack. Applying for the student visa was a terrifying affair, since it required mailing my passport to Washington D.C. I think this part of the application makes any student going abroad cringe. I'm not sure if I was lucky, or if the New Zealand embassy has a very speedy staff, or if the UPS service uses discontinued Concord airplanes for their national carriers, but I had my passport back in no more than four days. I sprung for UPS's guaranteed overnight delivery, but getting my 'port back so quickly made the $50+ price tag worth it. 

Packing. Oh man. I opted for a back pack in lieu of a duffel. It's more autonomous, and it will force me to pack light. Which is important--as my sister and my study abroad advisor both pointed out, you should bring more money and less clothes when you travel. But tonight I have to figure out how to comfortably pack a laptop bag along with a sleeping bag and the essential clothes. ...We'll see.

I still have a lot to do: transferring computer files, packing practice, e-mails to send out, dinner with my grandmother, and everything else I'm forgetting. 

Love, Emily.