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Hi guys, its been a while and this is a long one. Probably best to do this in stages, or get some snacks and relax.
When we last updated we were Wellington bound for a couple of days before boarding the ferry. Wellington itself was great - it's donned as the culture captial of NZ (as well as being the official capital city) and we made the most of the museums and tourist attractions there, as well as a bit of shopping. Our favourite experience was the Carter Observatory and Planetarium, situated atop of what was advertised as the famous cable car route. However after a short, slow, uneventful ride up a hill in a train carriage on a track, we disembarked feeling somewhat confused. Now we don't know what the Kiwi's definition of a cable car is, but ours is something attached to a cable... BUT the planetarium blew our minds. You might already know this, but we didn't - planet Earth is located in one of the Milky Ways 'spiral arms' - the 3D digital cinema experience literally took us there, and then some. In other space news; there has been a satellite travelling away from Earth for the past 34 years, sending back images of space to Nasa. Amazingly, it's still going strong and has gone past the edge of our solar system meaning that the next time it will feel the heat of another star will be in 40,000 years. Whoa.
An early start saw us down to the ferry port, for the 3 hour cruise to the South Island with our first stop being Kaikoura. Immediatley the scenery was dramatic and beautiful as the town was nestled between mountains and a rugged coastline. We were looking forward to some marine-based activities including whale watching and dolphin swimming.
- Kaikoura in Maori translates as 'Meal of Crayfish'... when in Rome etc etc, so we found ourselves the biggest goddamn crayfish available and ate it on the beach with a fur seal for company - delicious.
- Found a colony of baby fur seals playing in a waterfall while the parents were out hunting... it was mesmerising.
- Went Whale watching on a very choppy ocean (the sea sickness tablets were out in abundance, the Japanese tourists who didn't opt for the tablets were almost as entertaining as the whales). This has to be one of the best days of our lives... we were lucky enough to see two male sperm whales who were re-oxygenating on the surface preparing for another dive down 3000 meters to the ocean floor. You've never seen a group of people move so fast as when the guide announced "the whale will be tracked on the right hand side of the boat, the doors are open go go go". It was a very emotional moment when we first saw the whale, which took our breath away and our eyes glued to the water. To share a moment with such a massive, wild, endangered and majestic animal was really special. A sperm whales skeleton actually contracts to cope with the huge water pressure at that depth and they do this for over 50 years until a female deems them suitable as breeding material - the women are extremely high maintainence. We also saw a rare Hector's Dolphin and many types of Albatross (the wing span can reach 4.2 meters)
- We had the most terrifying night of our lives when we heard what we immediately assumed was a very loud tsunami warning siren (think World War 2 air raid siren) because we were essentially parked/living on the beach. It was 1am and with no one around we ended calling the local police station for reassurance. After some deliberating at their end, they unconvincingly told us "it must be the volunteer fire brigade", needless to say, sleep was scarce which didn't leave us in good stead for the following days Dolphin swimming.
- Annoyingly Dolphin swimming was cancelled due to high winds, rough seas and the dolphins didn't get the memo so were nowhere to be found. We've rescheduled to do this just before we leave NZ so hopefully it'll go ahead then.
- Bought, watched and finished Season One of The Wire, and are now obsessed. Yes this did make it into the NZ highlights - it should be compulsary viewing.
Our original plan was to head North after Kaikoura so we could go horse riding in Cape Farewell, but two events changed our plan: the horse riding stables had closed for winter for the first time in 20 years (typical), and Al wanted to go off-road motor biking in Queenstown but mid-June would be too cold, so we changed our plan heading South to Q'Town. It was a good 10 hours drive so we stayed the night at Lake Tekapo. On route, Carly was followed and stopped by the police and an intimidating copper gave her a ticking off for driving too slow. It's now our goal to try and get tugged for driving too fast just so we can say "What'd'you people want from us?" (Parents - we're kidding, and are obeying ALL the rules).
Arrived in Q'Town which was very cold but provided eye popping scenery and a lot of entertainment.
- We celebrated Carly's 27th birthday with a Segway experience around town - for those of you who aren't familar with Segways - Google it, then order one... they're amazing. You may be thinking that for a place that has created an art (and roaring tourist trade) out of throwing people from bridges, cliffs, planes etc attached to elastic bands, that the Segway would be tame... and you'd be right to a certain degree - but it was very cool. We also lost ourselves in Puzzling World and demolished a famous Fergburger, which as many of you know is a rite of passage if you come to Q'Town.
- Al went off-road motorbiking in the mountains. He was quickly seduced into hiring the most mental bike available, thankfully he managed to return in one piece, but did need a change of underwear.
- Had a home cooked meal at Dustin's, who's a resident of Q'Town (thanks to Carina who hooked it up) to get the insiders perspective on this awesome town. Ice skated home on icy roads at 3am... our own version of adventure sports to add to the mix.
Q'Town is uncharacteristically still waiting for snow to fall, which has massively delayed their ski season (first time in history). This has left a lot of peeved skiiers/snowboarders skulking around the town, including Al who would have liked to have honed his boarding skills, and Carly who wanted to know what skiing was. Despite the kiwi's still thinking it's summer with the lack of snow, we have been ruggin' it up at every opportunity. We've got thermals, hats, gloves and have put the in-van heating through its paces and we're still cold!
After Q'Town we drove along the Lake Wakatipu (the longest lake in NZ) to remote and beautiful Glenorchy to go horse trekking. This is where a lot of the 'Lord of the Rings' scenes were filmed and it was easy to see why, we're big fans of a snow capped mountain. Al rode the celebrity horse Zodiac, who is the alpha male of the 63 horses at Dart Stables and took Al on the ride of his life. All Al had to do was hold on - which he did and enjoyed the trip. Carly's horse was called Baxter, an ex-racing thoroughbred who couldn't have gone any slower if he tried. He's an EX-racer for a reason! Unsurprisingly, we both loved the day, albeit sore legs 'n' cheeks.
The last couple of days we've spent in Fjiordland National Park, which is the kind of place that makes you want to break into spontaneous applause - and we did. To conjure a picture, think mountains that tickle the sky with icy peaks, engulfed in atmospheric whispy clouds, surrounded with prehistoric jungle that's filled with bird calls, deep mysterious lakes reflecting the mountains and a vast blue sky that seems to never end. Now imagine it in HD with surround sound at an IMAX in 3D - and you're getting kinda close. The majority of the area is totally unchartered territory as it's so rugged - only helicopters can really explore this wild place. For this you need some serious wonga, which we don't have, so we opted to go for a cruise around Milford Sound - which is one of the highlights of the whole of NZ. We also followed a walking track, which we soon discovered was more of a hike/climb than a walk. The 3 hour round trip took us over a variety of terrain, including a recent land slide area (which was terrifying to say the least) but at last the walking boots have paid for themselves.
For the Mal fans out there, he's doing well, a little dirty - but he's drinking a lot of diesel and is enjoying the sights as much as we are.
For any of you who have seen the news regarding Christchurch, we haven't been affected by the continuous quakes/aftershocks/tremors they've been having. Its really sad what's happening there, especially as you hear so much about it in NZ. They've been having intermitent ground movement everyday and night ever since the first quake in September 2010, and the Government are advising travellers to stay away. Which is a shame, but exactly what we plan to do.
For anybody who got this far, well done. To claim your special prize, just say "There's nothing better than Segs" the next time we see each other, and we'll know you're a true blogee although no promises on how grand the prize will be. We're heading for the Catlins next, so... until next time.
Love xx
- comments
Nic There's nothing better than Segs! Brilliant blogging as always...brings back so many memories!! Keep enjoying!! xxx
JoJo sounds so amazing! glad you are both having the time of your lives! lots of love,xx
Jackie T Excellent blog as we've all come to expect - brilliant descriptions, I can picture the scene! Glad I didn't know about all the extreme activities you've been doing before you did them!! Continue to have a great time and keep safe. Lots of Love xx
Sar There's nothing better than sar, sorry segs. My word, have you guys thought of applying for english degrees when you get back, there's better descriptions in your blogs than the oxford dictionary. Ahh the memories it conjures... and some great facts thrown in, very educational. Have been hearing about the quakes, cant beleive there are so many and they think there may be a bigger one on the way again, so think you do well to stay clear. Great to hear from you and really appreciate the time you put in to them, it makes the jealousy all the more real. Take care and lots of love xxx
Sar Just to add, the photos are photography gold, love em!
Mama, Papa & Ruthie Vincenti There aint nuthin better than da Segs...other than the whales, the mountains, the crayfish, the milky way, the horses, the off road biking, the lakes, and YOU TWO!!! and mal of course! Wonderful piece of blogging, fantabuloso!!! loads of love mum, dad and ruthie xxxxxxxxxx
Payal Love this update- epic but so readable! I can hear both of your voices...we miss them! Laughed at Carly getting stopped by Po Po! Pleased you had a lovely bday. All sounds so amazing! Keep on having good times. Much love, Pi xx Also Al Keep growing that hair-loves it! xx
Tim Decent. Still missing ya x
Laura Love reading your posts, and god i wish i was there with you when you were eating a fergburger... feeeerrrrgggbuurrrgeer ummmm..... Miss you loads xxxxxxxx
Poppins Ahh the freedom of being in a van and looking for fun. Your whale experience sounds just incredible. Miss you madly xx Derek sending Al a big kiss