Last weekend we went on an excursion to the south island of New Zealand. In this upside-down world in which we live at the moment, that means you are going further away from the equator and closer to the south pole.
We flew to Christchurch, which is a cute and very English city along the coast. The flight is less than an hour from Wellington but you get incredible views of both island’s coasts and the Southern Alps. We spent most of Friday driving to Queenstown – it is a good 7-8 hours and a little more if you stop for pictures and slow down on the sheer cliffs. During the drive we saw one the most famous NZ products: sheep. Everywhere you look there were sheep. Every restaurant or shop sold sheep-related items: sheepskins, wool clothing, toy stuffed sheep that baaaaaa, wool insoles to put in your shows, you name it. Yep, there are sheep here.
One of the interesting things we noticed was the design of the hedges between fields. In addition to fencing there were regularly trees or bushes between the road and the field or the individual fields. We can’t figure out why – are they for screening so no one can see? Or extra protection to keep the sheep in? Wind resistors? We just can’t figure it out – particularly given how neat and precise the hedges were. They can’t just grow that way, someone has to be out there trimming them.
There were a few other animals besides sheep in the fields. There were quite a number of cows (you have to get that milk, butter and cheese somewhere), a few goats, quite a number of fields of alpaca and, surprising to us, neatly enclosed deer. I wonder why we don’t pen in our venison? (Or maybe we do – my knowledge in this area is a little limited).
We also had many opportunities to purchase the latest NZ product: possum fur. Apparently possum are real problems here as pests and there are many of them. Someone had the bright idea to start making things with the fur, so now possum yarn products and possum fur are everywhere. And pricey - you can pay $70 and way up for a possum sweater. I passed.
After touring the hot spots of the central south island (like Twizl and Geraldine) we arrived in Queenstown. Dave and I kept remarking how much it reminded us of Lake Tahoe – beautiful lakes, incredible mountains and lots of ski shops.
We stayed in a “bach” – a NZ abbreviation of “bachelor” – once referring to rustic lodging that was used for weekends in the country. Of course, the bach concept has evolved and you can rent them over the internet like a hotel room. There were 6 of us on our happy little trip so it made more sense to get a house than an apartment, so we rented “the red house” bach. It was stunning: 5 levels, with huge windows overlooking the lakes and great views of the mountains. Full kitchen, fireplace, games, etc. We didn’t spend much time there though, as we were out investigating.
The weather forecast had been pretty dismal and I had visions of us in a cramped room playing cards, but the sun came out and we took off to town. One of the highlights was taking a gondola up to the skyline restaurant. These weren’t your ski-lifts, but fast moving gondolas. Lunch was at this huge buffet overlooking the whole valley while para-gliders wafted by and kids zoomed below on go-carts on the luge – check out the photos, because words don’t do justice.
Later on we visited the “minus 5” – a bar made entirely out of ice. The chairs, the bar, even the “glass” you drink from is made from ice. You are given a parka to wear and gloves so that the glass doesn’t slip out of your hands or get stuck to them. The name is a misnomer, because it is actually always below -5, usually closer to minus 7 or 8. The girls liked breaking the ice glasses as you leave.
On Sunday we made the 4 and a half hour drive to Milford Sound in fiordland. This is one of the most famous places in NZ, for good reason. The fiords were formed by glaciers cutting through the mountains, leaving incredible sheer drops, perfect for waterfalls. You can even see the glacial striations on the rock walls where the glaciers cut through. The mountains are still growing a few millimetres a year as they are pushed upwards by the geologic instability below. We took a boat ride out to the entrance to the Pacific Ocean and took lots of pictures. We even saw a few seals lolling about.
One interesting fact about Milford is that it, like most of NZ, lies along the fault line of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates. That means it, too, is ripe for earthquakes. They average about 10 tremors a day, but most of them aren’t felt – we didn’t feel anything. About two weeks before we came they had a five pointer, but it didn’t cause any damage. The tour guide says they figure a big one comes every 200 years and it’s been about 300 years since the last one, so they are a bit overdue. Of course, they tell you that just before you get in your car and drive through a fairly long tunnel through the middle of a mountain.
But we escaped without any quakes and, after a nice Japanese meal in Christchurch, flew on home. Do check out the pictures when we get them posted because they are far better than I could ever describe.
