As part of my journey into becoming a full blown Canadian (I can now cry maple syrup on command and I apologise for everything so I'm half way there) I set out on a very Canadian adventure on Saturday to go dog sledding and snow tubing. The whole trip was organised by the group Travelling Chicken and for anyone visiting Ontario and looking to do some adventurous activities I would highly recommend them. T'was they that brought me to Algonquin that time I saw the moose and baby mooseling. They took us to Sugardogs Adventure in Sunridge to go dog sledding and then to Snow Valley to do some snow tubing and the whole day was brilliant craic from start to finish.
Pack up and bid farewell to beautiful Lake Okareka. Drive north east to Coromandel. Get lost on a detour. Accidently cause detour by misreading map. Find ourselves and drive to Catherdral Cove. Stunning views. Stop briefly in Coromandel for supplies then on to Waikawau Bay. Cook dinner and read until sunset. Sleep.
Cathedral cove and not a cathedral in sight. Liars
Day #30
Wake. Read. Maura drives to get supplies. Swim. Read. Maura returns with delicious supplies including carrot cake. Sun bathe. More swimming. More reading. Eat, relax, sleep.
Day #31
Wake and move camp to motor camp closer to Coromandel to be nearer Auckland. Go hiking. Swim, lunch, sun bathe, read, nap, swim, dinner, sleep. Lazy days are the best.
Day #32
Wake and dismantle tent for the last time. Thank the gods. Patience for outdoor living has officially run out. Drive to Auckland and check into hostel. Coincidentally arrive the same day as closing ceremony of Chinese lantern festival. Auckland Sky Tower all lit up in red. Explore the city docks by day and at night venture into city centre park to see the lanterns and the fireworks. Return to hostel and sleep.
And where, pray tell, can I get a monkey lantern???
Day #33
Wake and stroll through the city. Print posters to sell on our trusty Ferdia. Potter round putting them up and take in more of Auckland. Go for drinks in Fr Ted's Irish bar. Surprise! Sean has flown to Auckland to see me off. Much rejoicing. Bring people to the car in attempt to flog him for more than he's worth. Enjoy drinks outside hostel with Dutch room-mate while watching the Sky Tower flash rainbow colours in honour of gay pride. Sleep.
Auckland you beauty
Day #34
Awake and show the car to more people. C'mon Ferdia, smile for the nice people... Ferry to Devonport across the bay. After lunch go to naval museum. Then up North Head hill to see old military defensive fortifications and tunnels built into hill. Dark, echoing halls. Spooky. Big hidden guns. Cool. Return to hostel. Some poor fool -body has decided to buy Ferdia. Dolla dolla bills, y'all! Nap. Feeling revitalised head back out to climb the Sky Tower and see the night time cityscape. Eat delicious ramen and gyouza. Sleep in a hostel room that turns out to have been occupied by famished ninja-mosquitoes.
Day #35
Wake to discover ninja-mosquitos have made a fine feast of my legs. Finally accept that I am a delicious delicacy to the blood suckers on this side of the world. Last day in New Zealand :-( Back up the Sky Tower to see Auckland under the light of day. Then mosey on over to the Auckland gallery. Finally, fill up on sushi and miso at all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant. Eat a regrettable amount of sushi. Waddle out the door. Bus to the airport. Play arcade games and drink beer in airport bar. Nap on the floor. Fly to Australia.
Sky Tower, or rocket ship?
Well that was the final piece of my New Zealand adventure diary. It has been nice to relive it a little by writing it all down. Nice, and a little sad. I'll just have to go back there again some day I suppose.
Depart Queenstown bruised, battered, broken and broke having had a thoroughly awesome time. Drive to Dunedin and set up tent on the Otago Peninsula. Mother comes back from shop with chocolate, crisps and L&P. Legend. Remain in tent all day recovering. Much sleeping.
Day #9
Drive around Otago Peninsula to various eco attractions. All ridiculously over-priced. Try and spot as much wildlife across the fences for free as possible then leave. Manage to see albatross, seal and sea lion. Drive to Sandfly Bay. Very nervous due to the name but turns out not to be any sandflies there. Thank the heavens. Arrive at 7.15pm to try and spot the rare yellow eyed penguin. Wait two hours at far end of beach and only see them as we give up and return to the car. Adorable as fuck. Return to camp. Sleep
Day #10
Leave Otago Peninsula and head towards Twizel. Encounter a heritage drive along the way featuring unusual geological features dubbed elephant rocks, Maori cave paintings and ancient dolphin and whale fossils. The archaeologist in me has a rather spiffing time seeing the sights. Jolly good, what ho! Arrive at Twizel where a salmon and wine festival happens to be taking place. Jackpot. Late in the day so half price tickets. Double jackpot. Purchase tickets and little wine glass on a rope that comes with free drink vouchers. Meander, sip beverages and soak up the atmosphere. Continue on to Mt. Cook (NZ's highest mountain) village. Set up tent and stroll around. Decide to leave big walk until the next day. First mistake. Gales forecast for the following day. Decide to wait it out and see. Second mistake. 2am tent is being pushed flat against our faces with the wind and cover flapping in the gale. Tent pole snaps. Rain. Curse the sky all dramatic like and pile belongings into the car. Dismantle tent as best as we can and sleep in car. Rocked to sleep by gale force winds.
Elephant rocks
Mount Cook before it tried to kill us
Day #11
Wake feeling surprisingly rested. Turns out Ferdia's comfortable. Pack up broken tent in rain. Bid good riddance to Mt. Cook and and drive towards Christchurch. Stop for lunch on the way and find $10 in the grass. Thank you NZ, I forgive you I suppose... Check into motor camp in Christchurch suburb of Belfast. Hitch a lift to the pub from two lovely Germans. Very local tavern bar with incredibly talented pianist being completely ignored in the corner. Bartender informs us of a game played in the bar. Find a doll named Bill and win a free jug of beer. Maura finds him within two minutes but can't reach him. I pull him down and we collect free jug. Teamwork! Lucky day. NZ really trying to apologise for "Mt. Cook incident". Return to camp, dinner, sleep.
There's no escaping us Bill...
Day#12
Drive to Hanmer Springs. Beautiful little alpine town with natural hot springs. Check into motor park and enjoy a pleasant stroll through town. Cool and overcast. Perfect day for the springs. Soak for two relaxing hours. Sun decides to say hello and the reflection on the water nearly blinds me. Leave with eyesight mostly intact and go into Monteith's brewery bar for beersies. Return to camp, dinner, sleep.
Day #13
Wake and throw together packed lunch. Drive to waterfall track car park and go hiking (or tramping as it's known in NZ) for a couple of hours. Then drive to Hanmer forest and choose another hiking track. Stop at the top of the hill for lunch. Return to motor camp all tramped out (he he he). Remark how we weren't bitten all day. Marvel at nearly healed sandfly bites. Fall asleep in tv room for half an hour. Bitten. Make burgers on the bbq. Bitten more. Fuck you sandflies!!! Curse your rotten souls. Watch Lord of the Rings in the tv room. Sleep.
Day #14
Pack up and drive to Kaikoura. Camp in shaded site up in a valley. Surrounding trees home to thousands of cicadas. Deafening noise, beautiful weather. Take a nap in the sun. Head into town for a stroll around and a pint in the Irish bar. Offered a job. Ha ha, I'm fine thanks. Return to cicada country. Dinner, wine, sleep.
And so ends part the second of my adventure in New Zealand. Number three coming soon!
Before leaving New Zealand my mother flew over and together we bought a car and spent five weeks driving around the country. Here is my adventure diary.
Day #1
Leave Nelson and head to Totaranui in Abel Tasman national park. Arrive in paradise. Blowing up a gale though. Tent tries to fold in on itself. Suspect it is trying to escape to a different dimension. Head to beach. Glorious! Swim? Nope. Two sharks with two stingray escorts swim back and forth a metre from shore. Possibly waiting for foolish prey to enter and walk into their mouths. Foolish prey (children) run to-and-fro following sharks and screaming in glee. Four young boys on kayaks paddle over to taunt sharks. Kiwi kids either crazy brave or just plain crazy. Going by experience with Kiwi adults, suspect both. Attempt to sunbathe instead. Wind sprays us with sand. Abandon attempt. Campstove dinner and beach stroll. Retire to tent.
Totaranui at dusk. Sharks not visible (thank fuck)
Day #2
Leave Totaranui round 9am after further failed attempt to swim in sea (shark paranoia gets the better of me) followed by Baltic cold shower. Into Ferdia our Ford Lazer and away we go. Quick stop at Motueka to say some goodbyes and play with dinosaurs. Drive down through Buller Gorge. Many scenery. Much beauty. Wow. Decide to overnight in bustling metropolis of Westport (should be noted here that this sentence is dripping in sarcasm). Set up camp and wander through ghost town. Noticeable lack of tumble weed. Beer. Sleep.
Day #3
Awake to find weka trying to climb into tent beside me. Perhaps he wanted cuddles? Scare him away. Hit the road and head to Franz Josef. Stop for spot of tea at glacial river. Fill bottle full of shiny blue glacier water. Power up! Set up camp beside a lake few kilometres outside Franz. Sandfly central. Immediately regret decision. Drive to Franz Josef glacier car park and walk to see glacier. Is a big lump of ice on the side of a mountain as I suspected it would be. Head to Maori culture show. Only one other person in whole theatre aside from mother and I. Our own personal show. Get taught some basic Maori words. Tricked into doing the Hokey Kokey in Maori. Much laughing ensues. Hand phone to performer to take pictures of me while being taught poi. Phone returned with hilarious selfies. Return to camp sandfly and get bitten on every exposed piece of skin. Sleep.
The parental unit posing at the glacier
Day #4
Awake. Blow nose. Sandfly on tissue. Probably aiming for my juicy brain and didn't quite make it. Into Ferdia and off to Queenstown. Arrive. Hostel, hurray! Beds and indoor plumbing how I missed you these last three days. Stroll through gardens by the lake. Go to Fear Factory haunted house. Maura scared shitless. Laugh my ass off. Laugh again at photo of her mid-scream. Purchase photo. Delicious Japanese meal with Canadian roommate. Exhaustion. Sleep.
Beautiful Queenstown on the banks of Lake Wakatipu
Day #5
Wake nice and early for kayaking on lake Wakatipu. Sun and blue skies. Jackpot. Set off from beach with two guides on private tour. Paddle up the lake stopping at sunshine beach for morning tea and biscuits. Take advantage of free biscuits and gobble half the pack. Return to shore after a pleasant three hour paddle. Book onto bungy jump. Highest in New Zealand. Take the bus out, get harnessed up and watch as everyone in my group goes first. One guy does it naked. Fair play. Throw myself 134m. Grin from ear to ear and purchase dvd. Return to hostel and head to pop up bar next door to see band. Sleep.
Day #6
Drag ourselves out of bed at 5.30am for drive to Te Anau. Drive an hour and a half there for Milford Sound tour and our bus has left without us. Tour organiser tells us to jump in her van and tears off down the road driving like a lunatic screaming "Ray! Ray!" while overtaking and flashing her lights. Scares driver driving between Ray and us as she flashes lights and gesticulates wildly. Eventually Ray pulls over and we board tour bus amid much laughter and apologies. Join small tour of Ray: bus driver, two of his granddaughters, American couple (wife sounds like Maude Flanders) and Israeli man. Ray drives us through Fiordland national park stopping at several scenic sights. Stop for tea and homemade scones at Hollyford. Arrive at boat terminal and sail onto the sounds. Stunning scenery. Fantastic day. Ray drives us back to Te Anau and gives us pop quiz on our day exchanging chocolates for correct answers. Return to hostel and begin drinking with room mates. Drunkenly jump in Lake Wakatipu with them at about 2am. Apparently return to hostel soon after. Pass out.
As you can see I'm very excited to be there
Keas. NZ's native parrot. Spotted one trying to fly off with a tourist's shoe
Day #7
Awake late. Grab German roommate and head to Ferg Burger burger bar for magically restorative burger breakfast. Purchase pub crawl tickets for the evening. Decide to climb the mountain behind the town and try our hand at luge. Do just that. Luge, lose, grumble. Enjoy the stunning scenery from the top of the mountain. Return to hostel and take much needed nap. Roommates return from various adventures and we begin partaking of alcoholic beverages and playing Cnuno (foreign knock off of Uno). 9pm comes, time for Kiwi Crawl. Five bars, free shots, free pizza, Queenstown Ice Bar. Epic. Myself and an Aussie named Josh are last people standing. Hardcore. Club staff start turning on lights and cleaning around us, not so subtle hint to begone. Return to hostel and pass out.
Lovely, lovely roommates
And so ends part 1. Stay tuned for the second instalment. Peace out.
Last week my housemate Emma and I went on a road trip down the west coast of New Zealand visiting Punakaiki, Greymouth, Hokitika, Franz Josef, Fox Glacier, Westport (where we got trapped for a night after a landslide on the Buller road that left us with no option but to stay the night there and get pissed) and finally Buller Gorge. Have a gander at our antics.
