Around New Zealand

Been having a blast the past several days in New Zealand.

In my last message, I was about to head from Wellington to the South Island. Well that journey was successfully completed. Johanna and I played it pretty cool the one night in Wellington and I got to meet up with Nick, a chap I met on the train between Prague and Krakow, for drinks. He had remember me telling him I was going to be in NZ about this time so he shot me an e-mail and we ended up having a couple of beers and catching each other up on our travel stories.

He had taken trains, including the TranSiberian, all the way from Poland to Hong Kong after I had spent the day with him on the train. He had some great stories and it was fun to see him. He also gave me a few tips on things to do while I was on the South Island.

The following day, Johanna and I hopped on the ferry which was about the size of a small cruise ship where we met up with Steve, a British farmer backpacking a bit in New Zealand while he works on a couple of farms as a sheep sheerer. Steve was a great guy and when we got to Picton, he joined me on the train while Johanna branched off to Nelson on the bus.

The train ride between Picton and Christchurch was incredible. Definitely the most scenic train I have taken on the entire trip. Most of the train ride, you are riding right along side the coast line looking out over the water sprinkled with fields of seaweed that sparkle like diamonds in the dancing water. The train had an open air car so you could stand and take unobscured pictures while riding, and Steve and I spent about 85% 0f the trip in that car. At one point we road past a seal colony and you could see dozens of wild seals playing on the rocks just meters from the train. It wasn't the most comfortable train I have ever been on but it was the most beautiful scenery in the world to see.

Steve and I spent that night at a hostel in Christchurch, where I taught him the wonders of a meal at Denny's. Surprisingly the Denny's menu included a full cocktail menu and wine list. The Denny's I used to go to late nights in college definitely didn't have a bar, so it was a new experience for me too. We spent the rest of the night having a few drinks in the bar downstairs from our hostel and then crashed early for the next day spent on the train to Greymouth. Sunday morning, the two of us got up early so I could catch the train to Greysmouth and he could catch the bus to Queenstown. He taught me a few things about sheep sheering, and I taught him a few things about the arts; definitely a friendship built on sharing.

The train to Greysmouth was another scenic journey, not as long, but with just as many breathtaking sights. Once I arrived in Greysmouth, I discovered a sleepy town near the sea. There wasn't much to do there which was fine with me seeing as how I was getting exhausted after moving around so much. I did, however, walk to the beach and enjoy the powerful and turbulent surf as it crashed along the nearby jetty.

The next morning, I got back on the Magic Bus headed to Franz Josef. Along the way, we stopped at our regular list of incredible sights and interesting destinations including a place to try your hand at panning for gold. Once we arrived in Franz Josef, I went on a half day hike up the Franz Glacier. That is definitely a new activity that I would love to continue, ice climbing. The views were marvelous and the hike was exhausting but invigorating. I felt so accomplished after the 4.5 hour hike, wishing that I was staying another day so I could do the full day or heli hike of the glacier. It was just so much fun to have to strap ice spikes onto the bottom of your hiking boots and climb all over this massive miracle.

Once we got back to town, everyone was beyond tired, but we managed to pull together the last bits of energy to go out for a few drinks with some new friends. Yesterday, we drove from Franz Josef to Queenstown on the longest bus ride of the circuit. We stopped at Fox Glacier, a few small, picturesque towns, and a massive fruit stand. Because we didn't arrive in Queenstown until late afternoon, it is required of you to stay two nights here. After a couple of drinks with a bunch of people from the bus last night, I got up early this morning to go white water rafting. Fantastic!!!! I had so much fun, and it was just so beautiful rafting around the old gold mining sights and seeing in person some of the locations for the lord of the rings movie. Later this afternoon, I am meeting up with a few people to go street lugeing and then for a bite to eat.

Only five nights left sleeping in hostel beds, and then one long night on a plane until I return home.