Ninster's birthday, a ferry ride and windy Wellington

sorry for the long delay on updating the blog!! where did we leave you? after we left karamea (where we had the best breakfast so far in new zealand at a really cool cafe) we traveled back down the western coast of the south island to make a quick return trip to Hokitika, as we were in desperate need of some more green stone. then we headed northeast to Nelson. we spent the night in nelson at an adorable little hostel where they made us some shortbread, and it was coincidentally (or not so much) called "shortbread house."

from nelson we headed deep into the marlborough sounds for a 3 day ninster's birthday retreat! we drove out a tiny winding dirt road for over an hour until we arrived at our hostel, a wonderful place called "hopewell." the people who own hopewell, linley and mike, were amazing hosts. hopewell is basically their home, about 10 cabins built all around thier house with a beautiful lawn, beach for swimming and quaint farm. the water is crystal sparkling green and the land is very "new england." we felt right at home, in fact it much reminded us of mere point in maine. it was a very special place indeed. the first night we were there we went out on the boat with mike to one of the sounds' many green lipped mussel farms. we helped to harvest about 10 kilos of green lip mussels...and then we went back and cooked them all for dinner!!! for free!! they were the most amazing things i have ever eaten...right out of the sea, insane!

the next day was.....NINSTER'S BIRTHDAY!!! zach woke me up with a yummy breakfast out on the porch of our cabin. we went for a kayak out in the sound where we encountered a huge school of jellyfish floating in the emerald water. at low tide we walked along the mud flats in front of the hostel and collected oysters and dug up cockles. we had fried oyster sandwiches for lunch and and an amazing pasta feast with steamed cockles for dinner. yummm. linley baked me a scrumptios cake that we shared with all the other guests. it was a perfect birthday. (and i have very high standards for birthdays!!)

the last night we were there we had another (free) mussle feast. the day before we had met a totally rad couple, katherine and miguel, who have been traveling all over the world on a one year honeymoon. along with them and a really cool couple from holland, two guys from germany, a kid from spain, one from japan, and a couple from tel aviv we managed to polish off about 6 bottles of NZ wine and eat an uncountable number of mussels! we had the best time, talking partying, drinking, etc. a real traveling experience!!

we said farewell to hopewell and moved on after a really amazing time there. that night we arrived in picton where we packed up our stuff and got ready to enter part II of our NZ adventure.....the north island!! BUT first...we had to return our precious toyota vitz to the rental company where we found out that....drum roll, get ready for this news.......ZACH HAD RECIEVED HIS FIRST SPEEDING TICKET EVER!!! some one notify greg stump...after 10 years of driving very fast cars, zach has recieved his first ticket ever in a car that can barely make it up a hill in second gear.

the ferry ride from the south island to the north was crazy! the wind on the sea between the islands is some of the roughest in the world. as we entered the bay in wellington we stood up on the observation deck in the whipping wind and got sprayed with the salty sea water....fab.

so now we are in "windy" wellington...staying with hannah (zach's cousin), her flat mates and her crazy kitten oscar. last night we hit up some local pubs and drank some NZ ale. today hannah took us all over wellington, we viewed the botanic gardens, visted the museum of new zealand, "te papa," and laid our eyes on the famous "beehive"...the NZ parliment building (it looks like a beehive). wellington is an awesome lively city full of art and sculpture and culture. tomorrow we are going to try to head to wine country for a few days and then back to wellington so we can go on easter holiday with hannah!!

ciao all!

Post title: "We have sore feet" or "the Heaphy ate my lunch" or "we smell really Heaphy after that hike"

Wow-just got back from a real adventure. Five days ago we pulled into the Karamea Aerodrome and met Jim Larson and his 4 seater Cessna. As we pulled up next to the little old plane, all I could think of was Hunter's eloquent description of our rental car-"what a shitbox." Well, we piled in and took off. The two gas gauges had been floating between 3/4 full and empty until we were up a few hundred feet, then they just settled on "E." Our pilot( see above photo with me next to him) had a quick double take across the gas needles, but never looked back, so I figured we'd have enough to land. Twenty or so minutes later, we bounced across a tiny grass field about 4 KM form the start of our tramp down the Heaphy Track. Our whole start was quite on the fly. We had planned to stay in the closest town that night (Collingwood) but the thought of paying for another bus ticket the next morning didn't make any sense. So we were off.
I was finally informed at the first hut that our hike was going to be 82 KM long. Actually, Nina told me it would be that long before we left, I just didn't believe her. Ooooh, the truth stings. Stings in the feet actually. The first day we hiked 16 K up a steady never ending incline. Melissa in Christchurch had told us that you have to walk to see the best parts of New Zealand, and from our first steps we knew she was right. We spent our first night at the Perry Saddle Hut. Thanks to a quick example from Johnny in Greymouth, we realized that there were kiwis (the birds) shrilling away outside (they're nocturnal, so we didn't really try to spot any in the wild). We woke up the next morning and tramped 24 KM through the Gouland and Mackay Downs. Splitting the two plateaus was a short stretch of moss covered forest filled with caves and sinkholes. The Let's Go! book described it as "Tolkenish," and I really can't come up with anything more fitting than that. That night we stayed at the Mackay Hut with some very noisy folks, so we cleared out in the morning and hiked all the way to Heaphy Hut.
Heaphy Hut was our big reward. The most amazing section of our four day walk was the second half of this day. We walked past huge limestone cliffs and the flora continued to amaze us. Heaphy Hut itslef is set on the most energetic estuary we have ever seen. The Tasman waves roll right up the Heaphy River. As you can imagine, the hut had some of the most incredible sunsets we have had on the trip yet. We took a well deserved break there and this morning hiked oursleves down the beach and back to civilisation (specifically showers). Now I have to bandage my feet again and have some beer. We'll check in again soon, til then

quickie

hey all, this is a quick update b/c we are in a very HOT internet spot and there's a bit of a line!! we are in Karamea at a rather insane hippie commune called Rongo's backpackers...they are broadcasting a radio station out of the back shed and the entire outside of the building is painted rainbow colors...pictures soon!!

so we just spent the last 2 days with ethan's friends cec and johnny in greymouth (ethan is zach's cousin). they were AWESOME. we love you cec and johnny if you're out there reading this! cec had monday off and took us out to a beautiful lake and all around the little town of hokitika where we watched glass blowing and learned all about new zealand green stone (jade). we cooked them a big dinner to thank them for the hospitality (venison that johny carried out of the bush himself!).

our drive today was another mind blowing one...we stopped at a spot called punakaiki which means "pancake rocks and blowholes." scientists haven't completely figured this place out, but it's thousands of layers of limestone that rise hundreds of feet out of the ocean, and at high tide when the waves crash against them water comes up in geyser like plumes. it was totally amazing and i think we took 300 pictures...which we will soon post on the blog, but not now...the line, remember??

tomorrow we are taking a 4 seater plane from here to collingwood where we will set off for 5 days tramping the heaphy track (which ends back here in karamea). don't worry mom, the hippie who runs our commune knows the pilot and says he's a good guy.

hopefully we'll get some pictures up tomorrow before we head into the bush.

much love to all! cheers!

Fiordland

today we ventured into fiordland, deep in the southeastern corner of NZ. where do i even begin?? we woke up super early, before the sun was up to beat all the tour busses up the mt. road...there are SO many tour busses!! it was very foggy and rainy, but still very beautiful as we ascended into the moutains. as we began to climb up, green green moutnains shot up from the vally floor and sparkling lakes lined the road. we passed through a tunnel (homer tunnel) that was carved out of the rock in the 1800's and has no electricity. it is one way and DARK. water squirts out of the cracks in the wall and it's foggy inside. crazy!! on the other side we found ourselves in another world. low hanging clouds were caught in the beech forests and there were waterfalls everywhere! no, i mean everywhere!! at the top of the pass we reached the famous milford sound (a fiord). can't even explain...please see picture for evidence. although the sun was not out (it only comes out about twice a week there) it was truely amazing. the mountains shoot right up out of the water...since it leads out to the ocean, it is salt water, but on top of the salt water is about 40 meters of fresh water that is rich in natural tannins. because of the tannins the water underneath satys dark, creating a natural habitat for deep sea life that can usually only exist at very deep points in the ocean.

after taking in milford sound, we headed back down the mountain road...we stopped off to see a chasm where the river has carved smooth designs and caves into the rocks. then we headed for lake marion...the jewel of our day. it was about an hour and a half tramp to the top of the trail. we ventured up through the beech forests...moss everywhere and a rushing river beside us. at the top we were rewarded as the trail opened into a spectacular hanging valley with lake marion right in front of us. the lake was the most amazing color green (not the color of our car, a different green) and three waterfalls poured into the water at every corner of the lake. we sat on the rocks and ate lunch, smelled the air and soaked up some sun (but we are still pale). it was a moment. we also met some other VERMONTERS!! when we walked into the clearing at the lake a group of trampers yelled "are you from VT?" having noticed my tattoo (see i knew i got it for a reason). turns out they were from middlebury college. the world is so small, even on the other side of it!

now we are at rest in a hostel in queenstown...zach almost nailed an escapee sheep on the way here, but with a near miss and another FANTASTIC drive here we are. more soon! we miss everyone and we hear it's snowing in VT so get out there and ski everyone!!!!

(we have heard there is sometimes confusion as to who is writing...nina wrote about the penguins, the rest you'll have to figure out yourselves!!)

First big adventures.

A lot has happened over the last two days. We arrived at Arthur's Pass this past Tuesday planning on a couple of days of hiking. After our quick trip that afternoon, we set camp about 7K south of the town (basically a store and a hostel). We had the first minor dissapointment of the trip after our stove wouldn't light that evening (hopefully fixed now) and enjoyed PB and J for dinner as well as lunch that day. The weather turned for the worse as the night went on, and by morning we woke fairly wet....and surprisingly cold. Our sense of cold was explained an hour after we woke up as Arthur's Pass was suddenly dumped on with snow. Serious snow. We high-tailed it out before they closed the roads and set out for Oamaru.
The drive was simply the most amazing we've ever had. We left the sealed road and pulled up to a sign telling us we'd have to ford a river or five on our route. After the shortest moment of hesitation, we kept going. Nina and I were rewarded with some of the most breathtaking views on Earth. There's only one picture posted now because no camera could come close to capturing what we saw. Rolling hills, snow covered (southern) alps, emerald green lakes, amazing tree life, and sheep (obvi). After the drive, we landed oursleves on television in New Zealand. We both starred in Empire Backpacker's Hostel new television ad campaign. Now we're regular celebrities over here. After gaining our newfound fame, we hiked across and out of town to view yellow eyed penguins-amazing sights just 5 or 6 K form our hostel.
That brings us to this morning. We packed up in the car and drove about 30K south to Moeraki in search of the most amazing boulders. They're sixty million years old and shaped about as perfectly round as can be. Not far down the road we heard about a lighthouse that was far out of the way, but worth pursuing. This was our big reward of the day. We arrived to find a nice cosy viewing hide that looked over a number of seals and sea lions laying on the beach. After twenty minutes or so, we turned back toward the car. We took one last detour to check out a Maori Pa site-mostly because we couldn't figure out what "Pa" meant. As we walked along the ocean, all of the sudden, we had another penguin standing next to us. It was a very different experience from last night where were on removed platforms. Today we had hiked beyond the posted fence. It was entirely an end of the earth experience. We were surrounded by seals and sea lions, and everywhere we looked another penguin seemed to arrive. The wind almost blew Nina into the Pacific (check out the waist straps on my backpack in that first pic). We ended up there for an hour or so, with the greatest feeling of connectedness and childlike amazment for our surroundings. I easily shot off a hundred photos there.
Now we're back at the hostel, cooking up some pasta, and enjoying the best sense of just feeling great, like everything could go wrong and it couldn't begin to ruin our moods or attitudes. I really can't remember the last time I've felt this good.

I NEED A PENGUIN!!

we are here in oamaru...commonly known for being home to the northernmost penguin colony in the world. we have seen penguins (and seals and sea lions) twice now...once last night, here in oamaru, and again today, in moeraki. today we walked out onto a crazy windy peninsula where we found ourselves surrounded by seals, sea lions and yellow eyed penguins. i was in heaven. i am now totally obsessed with penguins and seals...i decided that the penguins love me (one stood next to me for 20 minutes...and crossed the fence that keeps people out and penguins in to be closer to me) and that i have to have one for my new york city apartment. i also want a seal, but i think they are too large to keep in the city. i have been contemplating how i will get my penguin home...more importantly, how i will get it past the flora and fauna check point at the airport. i think carry-on luggage would be most appropriate. wish me luck, and please view the penguin photos...

Rembrandt

So I'm almost used to driving on the left side of the road now. We have a comically colored toothpaste green car named Rembrandt to live out of for the next twenty days. We left Hoon Hay this morning and arrived at Arthur's Pass a few hours ago. It was the most beautiful drive I've ever had. The Ninster was a little nervous, wanted to slow down a few times. Oddly enough, I've never been passed so many times in my life. Hopefully our car will make it till the 31st. A couple of those mountain passes wouldn't have happened without first gear. Anyways, a few minutes ago we returned from the quick hike up to Devil's Punchbowl and happened upon an honor system internet cafe-so here we are trying to upload our photos from the beginning of the trip. They're posting at a rate of about one every fifteen minutes, so you may have to wait until we find faster access to see the rest of ther good ones. Til then, Cheers

we made it!!!

well, we finally made it...the journey was long, but since we slept through most of it, it actually wasn't that bad! shout out to natalie...my feet got SO swollen, and so did zach's! it was like braxton hicks of the feet. does anyone know why that happens?? anyway, they are back to regular size again after excellent sleep.

so we have just spent out first day hanging around in christchurch. we are staying with melissa (she is a friend of ethan's-zach's cousin) at her house in a suburb of the city. she rocks and we got to cook her dinner last night with veggies that she grew in her rocking garden. it was the perfect place to be on our first night in NZ...a little bit vermont, a little bit NZ. today we are exploring the city of christchurch...we went to the botanical gardens....beautiful; the aquarium...super cool. at the aquarium we also got to see kiwi's...(ian that's the bird, not the fruit) they are very fast and very hairy(feathery?). Also checked out an exhibit on Antarctica in the Cantebury Art Museum. Can any Minots remind me which expedition great grandad Gross was on? The Byrd Expedition?

we have learned some great new kiwi vocab thus far...most importantly, how to order coffee! black coffee is called a "long black" and with milk is "flat white." first time i was asked i thought she was inquiring on my eggs...very confusing! we have also determined that in NZ zach is what's called a "petrol head," that means he likes cars a lot. and finally, when you say "that" it's customary to add "then." ex. "do you like that then?"

speaking of petrol heads...we are off to pick up our car now...wish us luck as we learn to drive on the other side of the road!

we'll put up pictures from today in a bit.
ciao!

Brief New York Appearance for Us

And after a three hour delay....we made it to New York! And we had some amazing food at Blue Ribbon. The trip hasn't even begun yet, but being in the city has made me excited to move here when we return. It's busy everywhere here, a serious contrast with life in VT (though the last couple weeks up there don't count). It's 2:45 AM right now. We've just got back to Hunter's apartment in the west village. We have to get a taxi to JFK in an hour. Hope that makes for some killer sleep on our Los Angeles flight. Ha! I suppose that the all-nighter should be easier here in NYC than anywhere else in the world. OK, time for a quick shower before our quick exit. We'll be back in touch when we land in New Zealand. Cheers

welcome to new york

we tried to start the trip about an hour ago....we took the #8 (good luck) benways van to BTV whereupon we found out we are delayed into newark....air traffic in NYC. we will attempt to start the trip again in a few hours....wish us luck!!