Tiff, John, Adi, and Rye! They correctly answered the Fiordland question and will be receiving a prize in the mail shortly (a few weeks probably)! Nice job!
Archive for April, 2009
And the Winners Are…
Thursday, April 30th, 2009The Old Man
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009With May 3rd just around the corner and the marking of 6 years sans Old Man in New Hampshire, I thought the Granite Staters back home might appreciate seeing the “Old Man Rock” we came across on the way out to Wharariki. Not quite the same as the Great Stone Face that used to grace Cannon, but this old man probably hasn’t had any face lifts…and he is still standing.
Freedom Camping and the Worst of New Zealand
Sunday, April 26th, 2009At 1:42am, the air stuffy inside AGY, the rain bucketing outside, and after several attempts to find a comfortable position in the front seat of AGY, I started to compose this blog in my head. Freedom camping- we had no idea what this meant when we arrived in NZ all revved up and ready to buy a used car. Of course, we found AGY, but never even considered a campervan, probably the most useful vehicle for NZ.
Freedom camping is allowed almost anywhere. Just pull off the road or into a car park, cook your meal on the stove inside, and then curl up on the mattress in back. Even after a few nights of rain and lengthy drives searching for a DOC campsite or paying $30 to stay in a Holiday Park, we’re actually still glad that we chose AGY. We bought a tarp for the rainy days and setting it up had become a topic for discussion and critical thinking. The lack of trees in campgrounds found us tying the tarp to the back of the car, perfect for staying dry when you need something from the boot (kiwi speak for trunk). Not so perfect on really windy nights! On more than one occasion we’ve crawled out in the rain to dismantle the tarp so the constant flapping did not keep us awake.
The rain has been somewhat frequent recently and without a campsite near by, last night we decided to try AGY out on the freedom camping scene. Simple- pull into pupu springs car park, open up a can of Wattie’s (NZ’s Heinz) Hot Chili Beans, eat them cold, recline the front seat and presto, a self contained freedom camping vehicle. After a long night of tossing and not turning, morning arrives and you’re already at your first destination for the day- Waikoropupu Springs, the cleanest springs in the world.
Although the thought of cold beans and unfomfortable nights makes me yearn for a campervan, I can assure you it would not be a Wicked Camper, one of the many rental campervans available in NZ. I will include a picture which almost says it all. Each rental is unique, complete with different but equally terrible and repulsive sentences pained on the back. Driving by the hundreds we’ve seen I often find myself wondering who would rent one of those things- maybe they got a super internet special and did not realize their van would offend everyone they drove by. I’d much rather be in a Spaceship with the back open and a tent assembled to provide extra space or a Juicy recongized by its bright green color. Tonight it’s back to the tent for some much needed rest in the horizontal position.
The Week or Two in Review
Sunday, April 26th, 2009It’s been another busy week or so since we last updated A Bad Day Camping…, and we’ve come a long way during that time. Since we left Wanaka and the wonders of Puzzling World behind, we’ve been heading up the West Coast. The West Coast is a spectacular part of the country. In case we needed any help understanding how special this part of the country is, when we were staying at Welcome Flats Hut someone happened to leave behind a West Coast booklet explaining exactly why it’s so great here. Why anyone would hike 10 miles or so with a regional development booklet in their backpack is beyond me, but it gave us something to read as we ate our dinner at the hut. Of course, it talked about the beautiful mountains and glaciers, the wonderful and honest people of the region, the promising energy industry…and on and on and on. Amazingly, there was no mention of the most dominating force of this region–the infamous sandfly, or blackfly.
The West Coast is one of, if not the most unpopulated part of the country and the reason must be the healthy population of these blood thirsty biters. West Coast blackflies make New England’s blackfly population seem like it is on the brink of extinction. As long as you’re moving they aren’t much of a bother, but the moment you stand still a black cloud descends upon you. We got quite good at jumping in and out of the car as quickly as possible and skilled at killing the ones that managed to get into the tent or car with us. As a result, Agy is in desperate need of some cleaning (not too different from her owners), and we probably can’t donate blood for another 56 days. Since our surf guide for New Zealand says, “…West Coast surfing is a spooky experience. Firstly, the swell is nearly always big, in fact you’re almost always waiting for it to drop and clean up before heading out. You will also be sharing the breaks with a wide range of marine life–many of which have big sharp teeth! Combine this with extremely cold and often murky water, and you have a true Kiwi hardcore surf destination.” We figured the blackflies provided enough bloodletting so we stuck to the mountains.
That said, we’re not actually sure that the blackflies were the worst thing we encountered. Following an overnight trip to Welcome Flats Hut-a fantastic hike up to some hot pools and mountain views) we headed to Fox and Franz Glaciers. The glaciers themselves are magnificent, and we really enjoyed the moments of sunshine that we had at Fox glacier. At Franz, however, we took a short hike up to Sentinel Rock which gives a nice view of the glacier and valley. We got to the viewpoint and not long after a bus load of tourists struggled up one by one, each huffing and puffing and saying almost exactly the same thing upon arrival, “I thought this was supposed to be a short hike.” Now, I don’t know if this is common for people on bus tours as a way to cope with being so close to 25 other people, but after their passing the trail smelled like the very worst part of a department store. You probably know what that means–the perfume section. The part of the store where in order to pass through with the same number of brain cells you had at the start you have to hold your breath for the duration. I think these folks were suffering from perfume induced asthma. We quickly ran for the car once again and continued north.
Next up was Pancake Rocks–another unique coastal rock formation with shows of crashing waves and blowholes. Check out the pictures on Flickr. We continued north to Nelson Lakes National Park–a place we wish we had more time and more sun to explore in. And finally, we made it up to Wharariki Beach at the northwest tip of the south island. The weather wasn’t great while we were there, but it’s a remarkable and rugged beach. We owe Pete a huge thanks for the recommendation on Wharariki and Glenorchy as well. Thanks Pete! Your map and advice have been really helpful!
Currently, we’re in Nelson figuring what to do next, but it won’t be long before we leave the South Island behind and head back North to, hopefully, warmer weather. We’re both ready to spend some more time exporing the North Island’s beaches, caves, lighthouses, surf spots, waterfalls, and whatever else we find on our way. Next WWOOF site is a cheese farm in Eketehuna!
Puzzling World
Thursday, April 16th, 2009Maze Contest
Tim 1
Joanie 0
Coffee Talk
Thursday, April 16th, 2009
Joanie here for my first blog attempt! We’ve barely had time to write about what we’ve been up to, let alone New Zealand culture. It may come as no surprises that New Zealand culture shares most things in common with that of the US. One thing we have come to understand though is that Kiwi’s get their Vitamin D a bit differently- not from the sun, but from the coffee they consume. Coffee- Vitamin D? Yup. There seems to be a plethora of cafes (1/NZ resident I think) serving various types of milky, espresso coffees from flat whites and short blacks to lattes and mochas. There is, however, no such thing as a regular cup of coffee which we have come to find out is referred to as filter coffee and seems to only be available for brewing at home.
While coffee beans are readily available at any New World, Pak’ N’ Save, or Countdown, they are nowhere to be seen in the multitude of cafes. In fact, if you walk into a cafe and want a regular black coffee you may well get instant. Yup- instant. Seems there is no in between- no plain old filter coffee and no half and half either. If you ask for half and half you will get a questioning stare.
Back to the grocery store- Kiwi’s have their fair share of caffeinated products to choose from, including coffee with milk in a squeeze tube- just add water, available in a canned variety as well. Sorry to say we have not had the opportunity to test out this Nestle product yet.
Speaking of dairy, what’s up with Kiwi ice cream? So many cows and so little quality ice cream. Yes, they’ve got Hokey Pokey and as a lover of honey I can appreciate the honeycomb chunks, but where is the ooey gooey chocolaty, caramel, nutty yumminess we find at the Granite State Candy shop in NH or the Dairy Bar in MI? One thing is certain, we will miss the fancy coffees (which we indulged in daily during our stay at The Pailion), and we are craving a massive (Kiwi’s love that word) waffle cone served up New England style from Goldenrod.
Colac Bay
Thursday, April 16th, 2009As we travel around the country, people often ask us if we miss being in the United States. While I often have a hankering for some Arthur Bryant’s BBQ, All American burgers and fries, Goldenrod ice cream, Granite State chocolate, The Friendly Toast breakfast and anything that Mom cooks up, our response is that what we miss most are our family and friends. Two weeks WWOOFing at The Pavilion restaurant in Colac Bay was just what we needed to feel that sense of being part of a community of friends again. It was also the perfect place to go after backpacking for two weeks and in need of some good calorie rich food.
Colac Bay is a beautiful gem of a place on the south end of the South Island. The surfing is great, the moon rises over the ocean, and the locals are incredibly friendly. Julie, the owner of the restaurant (an an incredibly generous hostess) had asked us to stay through the Easter holiday to help out when things got busy. We didn;t know what we were in for. Easter is a HUGE deal here. The nearby town of Riverton hosts annual horse races over the Easter weekend and things get busy at the Pavilion.
Through our first week at the restaurant we worked on lots of odd jobs–gardening, scrubbing decks, refinishing chairs and tables, and doing lots and lots of dishes in the kitchen. The big project, however, was the renovations to a small room off the side of the restaurant to transform an old storeroom into a new bar. This project was the definition of a community effort. We felt as though we met most of the town as we helped with the renovations and through the restaurant. The restaurant staff was great, and we ate gourmet lunches and dinner every day. A huge thanks to our two chefs Dan and Rina for all the good food. We also owe a huge thanks to Mary, maker of incredible desserts among other things and the most perfect Pavlova in New Zealand. We got to know Mary’s boys Ricky, Nigel, and Bevin as well through the bar project, and we enjoyed a rauckus evening hanging out with them, playing music, and laughing an awful lot.
It was a big push to get the new bar ready for Easter weekend, but everything fell into place and the Foreshore Bar was packed on the weekend (And check out the vintage surfboard hanging from the ceiling courtesy of Don!). People know how to have a good time in Colac Bay. One thing we loved about our nights hanging out with everyone is that there’s lots of singing and music and it doesn’t matter how talented or untalented you are–just sing! Easter in Colac Bay is really a three or four day party and we just happened to be around for it. Woohoo! I spent a good portion of the weekend driving the restaurant “courtesy coach” back and forth to Riverton to bring people to the races, bring people to the bar, drive them home from the bar, etc., while Joanie took a few turns as bartender/waitress when things got really busy. In all it was an awesome two weeks. There’s so much more to tell, but we just don’t have the time.
We did get a chance to go to the Riverton Races on Eater Monday, and Julie generously gave us two “sponsor’s tickets” which meant we had free beer and food all day at the races. We got off to a great start at the track, picking a $50.00 winner on our first bet (We need to thank our Irish friends JP and Sorcha who inspired us to pick Celtic Dreams in that race). From there it was a mixed bag of winners and losers, but we left with more money in our pockets than we came with. We’re ready for Belmont when we get to NY!
A Long Way From Home…
Monday, April 6th, 2009
Fiordland
Monday, April 6th, 2009Hey folks! Sorry for the delay here, but we’ve been away from the world wide web for awhile. After our adventure at Trotter’s Gorge we basically made an uneventful dash down the east coast. The weather was cold and rainy, so we spent lots of time in the car playing games, reading, listening to the wind, etc. By the time we got to Fiordland the weather was slowly getting better and the forecast was looking great for our two weeks of backpacking. Fiordland is definitely one of those places that pictures cannot fully capture and my lame vocabulary can’t come close to describing.
In the two weeks we had set aside for Fiordland, we had sketched out a pretty busy schedule for ourselves. First up–the Milford Track which has been called “the greatest walk in the world” by National Geographic. We had a day or so to hang around Te Anau and camp on the edge of Lake Te Anau before we took the boat ride to the start of the track. It was nice to have a some time to dry out our gear from the previous week of rain, relax on the lake shore, and soak up the sun. Fiordlands is not typically a place that people go to soak up the sun. On average, they receive about 7 meters of rain per year. If you do the conversion to our system of measurement, that equals a shit ton of rain. By the time we got on the track, the sun was out and it pretty much stayed out for the next 12 days while we were backpacking.
We ended up doing the Milford, Routeburn, Greenstone and Caples tracks before heading to Colac Bay and our next WWOOFing stint at the Pavilion restaurant. I’ve got to wrap things up quickly here as internet time is short, but check out the new pictures on Flickr–they tell a pretty good story. And, if I told you everything here then we wouldn’t have any stories to tell when we get home.
Just remember to ask us about Warren, our Routeburn Track mix-up, and all the gourmet food at the Pavilion.
Question
Monday, April 6th, 2009What is the best thing about backpacking in Fiordland?
A. The incredible mountain scenery.
B. Waterfalls at every turn.
C. Quiet nights camping under the brilliant southern skies.
D. Eating massive chocolate bars. (This one cost $2.00 US)
