Day 1, November 30-31  

We got lucky. After bypassing a swarm of post-Thanksgiving travelers lugging huge  cardboard boxes wrapped in twine alongside their suitcases, we arrived at the LAX Quantas counter. There where only about two dozen or so passengers ahead of us and, as an added bonus, there was not one oversized box was in sight. The line sped along quickly and after showing the agent our passports, which were still safely stowed in my backpack since the last time we nervously checked, we made it through security and boarded the plane. There were plenty of empty seats on board so Jeremy and I stretched out across the whole three-seat section which we had to ourselves. Right before a surprisingly tasty dinner, the flight attendants gave us little bags with a pair of socks, a toothbrush with attached sample size generic toothpaste, and an eye mask. I was thrilled with the novelty of it all.  I was also impressed  with how refreshed we felt after a nice 8 hour sleeping pill induced nap. When we were not sleeping Jeremy watched "I,Robot" and I listened to our iPod which for some strange reason had ceased to terrify me.  After leaving the plane our luck ran out. My hiking shoes had to be cleaned because there was foreign soil on the soles. My sneakers also had to be cleaned but since they weren't so dirty or perhaps because I was wearing them, I only had to stomp on a cleaning pad full of soapy water. My boots on the other hand had to be fully washed, so they were placed at the end of a long line of other footwear offenders. Meanwhile, our connecting flight was boarding and we had no idea where our gate was. At this point in our story I gave Jeremy a good scare. I went to the restroom, which in New Zealand is usually just labeled a toilet, after he had left to try to find out where we needed to be. My extremely stressed out husband came back to the decontamination counter first only to find me gone. He then realized that not only did he not know where I was or when I would get back, but that he also didn't have any means of contacting me. Our cell phones were lying useless in our backpacks and he keenly felt their loss. Eventually I did come back to claim my boots and to reassure Jeremy that I would never disappear on him again. In the end, however, even though we made a mad dash to the domestic terminal, running most of the way on the right side of the sidewalk which must have annoyed the locals to no end, we missed our connecting flight to Christchurch. Luckily the next flight out was only an hour later.  Once in Christchurch we took a cab to the car rental place in town and got a crash course on driving on the left hand side of the road. We drove west on Hwy 73 through flat plains and rolling hills.  Almost every square kilometer was covered in sheep. We stopped at a little town called Springfield for lunch and it was here that we were first introduced to a New Zealand favorite: meat pies. We ate homemade peppered venison pies and washed it down with ginger beer. Afterward we stopped at Kura Tawhiti and viewed the large, naturally formed limestone outcrops.  We continued west through the mountains to Arthur's Pass in central Canterbury. Two short trails caught out eye: Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall walk and the Bridal Veil walk. We went on both and saw waterfalls and small creeks as we hiked through the mountain beech forest.  The hotel room I booked was in Hokitika. This little town of 4000 people is situated right on the beach. We stayed at the Shining Star Log Chalets. Our log cabin had a porch that overlooked a small animal farm and the beach.  It was cozy and comfortable and with the help of an electric heater it was, thankfully, wonderfully warm too. Besides the funny shaped outlets, one of the first differences I noticed between New Zealand and the US were the toilets. There are two buttons on them in New Zealand. In the log cabin, one button had a half-filled circle while the other had a completely filled circle. In subsequent locations I also noticed that one wavy line versus multiple wavy lines are also used. Apparently, in New Zealand the user gets to decide if they only need a quick flush or a more through flush of the toilet is needed. How quaint. For dinner we stopped by Trappers restaurant where I had pan-seared ostrich with scalloped potatoes and mushrooms. It was the first time I had tasted ostrich and it was delicious. Jeremy ordered the lamb and he was well satisfied with his order as well. We dragged ourselves back to the hotel room and collapsed with exhaustion, skipping out on stopping by the glowworm dell that was conveniently located just across the street.  

Day 2, December 1  

Before breakfast the next morning we stopped by the communal living area and found the computer that was linked to the internet. For a $2 coin we were able to connect for 15 minutes. I did not realize that a dial-up connection could be so slow. It took 12 minutes just to send one three sentence e-mail to our parents telling them that we arrived safely. Afterward we looked at the farm animals that were penned near our cabin and walked to the beach where we saw this really large rather playful dog.  Breakfast was at the Cafe de Paris, a local favorite according to the desk clerk. Here I realized that most restaurants usually bring some sort of carafe to the table to let the patrons fill their own glasses of water at their leisure. At Cafe de Paris this container was in the shape of an upright fish, which I thought was very cute. It was also at this restaurant that I realized that not all bacon is created equal. The bacon that was brought to the table was thicker than that found in the US and reminded me more of thin ham than bacon. Also New Zealanders do not skimp on the meat so that even though I was really hungry I couldn't finish the bacon.   After a bit of shopping we jumped back into the car and started driving down the west coast toward the Franz Josef Glacier. The walk to the glacier took us though part of a valley which several decades earlier had been a lake that had abutted the glacier. Several stunning waterfalls emerged out of the shear cliff walls which surrounded the valley and flowed to the valley floor. At the terminal face we saw a wild kea and turned back without crossing the "Danger" signs put in place to keep inexperienced tourists from entering the ice cave and climbing the glacier. Jeremy was disappointed. I was relieved.  We drove straight to Haast where we had dinner and accommodations at the World Heritage Hotel. Jeremy ordered a burger which had to be at least 10" tall. He had to eat it with a fork and knife. I had a very tasty fish and chips for dinner which I think Jeremy started craving the minute I had finished with it.                                                    

Day 3, December 2  

The next day we had breakfast again at the hotel. Our waitress was very awake and chipper which was in sharp contrast to our sleepy selves. At this point in time it was pretty evident that I was coming down with a cold. I'm sure that Jeremy was fighting it as well even though he didn't have all the symptoms I did. So when Sarah, our waitress, kept on offering us coffee, tea, toast, OJ, ect, we could only wearily shake our heads and declare that we were perfectly happy with our continental breakfast. I suppose that she just wanted to feel useful and she finally got her wish when we asked her what to do in Queenstown. She was ecstatic. We were very happy with her so when we left, we gave her a 20% tip. Later when reading the Lonely Planet we discovered that tipping is considered a foreign custom and not necessary. If one is still inclined to tip, however, then a 5-10% tip is sufficient. I suppose that I can't get over my personal aversion to tipping so little. To me something that small would seem like an insult rather than a compliment. Anyway, on this particular occasion I still think it was money well spent.   After breakfast we left Haast, a town so small that it wasn't even on the national power grid, and drove by Lake Hawea to Wanaka.  At Wanaka we stopped by the Puzzling World of Stuart Landsborough where we got lost in their 3D maze and wandered though their Puzzling Exhibits.  A few kilometers down the road from this attraction was Mt. Iron. We started walking up this mountain to take in the vista of Lake Wanaka and city on the shores. Snowcapped peaks surrounded us off in the distance. We didn't complete the trek because I was feeling pretty bad at this point even though I took some 12 hour Sudafed. So we just walked back and drove directly to Queenstown.  That evening after having curry at this really great Indian restaurant, whose back door exited into an alley which had an office for the Department of Corrections, we went straight back to our hostel. We had booked an ensuite room at this really cool place called Southern Comfort. One important lesson I learned early on when booking rooms was to make sure a room was "ensuite", which meant that there was an attached bathroom. Bathrooms seem to be optional in New Zealand. This was really a new concept for me when booking places to stay. The place was really cozy and the atmosphere was great. On the walls were Far Side comic strips and funny quotes. Written all over the outside walls are great little quotes as well. The only strange feature of our room was our sink. It was tiny, not even as wide as my hand. In truth, I think the hamburger Jeremy ate in Haast took up more volume. All in all however, I really liked the "Love Shack". The quote outside our sliding glass door reflected the theme: "I don't believe we've met. I'm Mr. Right."                                                       

Day 4, December 3  

The next day we had breakfast at Cafe 111 which was only a few steps away from our room. Since then I have discovered that in New Zealand 111 is equivalent to 911 in the US. Breakfast was delicious. I ordered a steamed milk and our host looked like he thought it was a strange request, but made it for me anyway. I suppose that they are not very popular in New Zealand. Afterward, we went shopping and I just felt sicker and sicker as the day progressed so we ended up going back to the pharmacy. One item that I purchased were these antibacterial sore throat drops. Now in general I am against the whole antibacterial craze but in this case there were simply no other alternatives. Of course it wasn't until I took them that I remembered that I could have gargled with salt water but it is a testament to how bad I felt that I didn't remember it at the time. The amazing thing about the lozenges, however, were how well they worked. I used three of them over a day and my sore throat was gone. Of course I still had my other head cold symptoms that my Sudafed did nothing to relieve so I took some New Zealand cold medicine and they too were completely suppressed. "New Zealand drugs for New Zealand bugs" was my motto for the rest of the trip. In any case, I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in bed and only got up for dinner. After a quick Thai curry I again went back to sleep. Luckily Jeremy had a good book to read so he wasn't too bored that day.  

Day 5, December 4  

We got up relatively early and had a hard time finding a place that served "breakie". We finally found this place along the waterfront which didn't turn us away or just served coffee. I had my first taste of natural yogurt which was, unlike all the yogurts I have ever tasted in the US, tart and even a little bitter. This reminded me that I had noticed a few weeks earlier that my yogurts all had added sugar. I now have a good idea of how much. Jeremy got a muesli and a muffin that he thought was wonderful. Paying the bill in New Zealand was a little difficult for us. In some places the waitress delivers a bill to your table but in other places you have to go to the counter and ask for it. In the places where the bill does get sent to the table the etiquette in some places is to have the waitress take the credit card and bring you a receipt to sign (as it is usually done in the US) while in other places we are expected to take the bill to the counter to pay. With so many choices it is easy to become confused so we took to watching people that were almost done with their meal to see what the correct procedure was for a particular restaurant.  We took a quick stroll through a craft market and then checked out of our room and headed to the Kiwi and Birdlife Park. Since kiwi are nocturnal birds they had a darkened kiwi house where visitors could come and watch them forage for food. They were surprisingly cute with long beaks, tiny 1" arms, relatively powerful legs, and feathers that looked more like hair. Their beaks were mostly on the ground sniffing for food because, strangely enough, they had their nostrils at the end of their beak. I personally really liked the kiwi. Jeremy seemed to really like the parakeets and the keas. After we left the Birdlife Park we walked across the street to the entrance to the gondola. There is a single tall hill named, rather tamely in my opinion, Bob's Peak, right on the edge of Queenstown. It seems to me that in New Zealand names must be either complicated Maori names or something very simple, like "Bob."  The residents of Queenstown have built, probably for the sole pleasure of the tourists, a gondola which whisks people to the top for easy access to The Ledge Bungy, a 47 m  bungy jumping platform that looked too close to the cliff edge for comfort, Tandem Parapente flights, and the Skyline Luge, a 3 wheeled luge cart which one can actually steer and brake though the 800 m track. I was pretty tempted by the Luge, but by the time we had finished a little walk around the mountain top I was pretty tired. All in all I had a great morning, the views from Bob's Peak were pretty amazing. Plus Jeremy got to drool over an biplane doing some really cool aerobatic turns and maneuvers.  Getting back into the car we drove the 2 hours to Te Anau without incident. Jeremy had been driving the entire time we had been in New Zealand and by this time was getting the hang of driving on the left, roundabouts, and one lane bridges. There are so few people on the south island that most of the roads are only two lane highways, even in most of the cities. One lane bridges and roundabouts are also pretty common. In the early days I would help him out by using my "super vision" to see which direction had the right-of-way on the bridges.  Jeremy did very well. There were only two times during our entire stay that I caught him driving on the wrong side of the road. New Zealand driving always kept him on his toes. Right outside Queenstown we had the pleasure of seeing a herd of cows coming  toward us on the highway. After stopping and having a stare-down with some of the cows, they eventually moved over and allowed us to pass. It was actually quite an adventure because they are surprisingly big creatures who were, luckily, more interested in eating than in ramming our car.  A few kilometers south of Te Anau we parked at Rainbow Reach which is an access point to the Kepler Track. This was one of my favorite hikes because we got to go over two swing bridges! The scenery was absolutely beautiful as well. We walked though a beech forest track which had a thick fern cover blanketing the ground. Jeremy and I had never seen anything like it. The first park of our hike closely followed the Waiau River while the second part steered us toward a wetland viewing platform.   That night we checked into the Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park. Our room was a little weird because the bathroom had another door which opened up into another room. I believe that only we had a key to the bathroom, but it was a little strange to be able to hear the other couple talking. If I had an voyeuristic tendencies I could also have peeked into their room because the keyhole was big enough to allow this (which I found out by peeking into our own room of course). That night we had dinner at this quaint little Italian restaurant. Our table was so cute. It was tiny and we had to sit next to each other facing a decorated wall. I loved it. I also loved their garlic bread.                                                       

Day 6, Sunday December 5  

The next day we had reservations to go sea kayaking in Milford Sound. We had arranged to have someone pick us up from the holiday park at 7 am. Getting up was painful but we managed to do so. Luckily I was also able to take a nap in the van on our way down to the shore. I think that our fellow adventure seekers as well as our guide were all veterans of the sport--a fact that we would painfully discover later on. But as for the drive down, we were all in good spirits and we even got to stop and have a tea/coffee/hot chocolate break. It was here that I discovered that one could have hot chocolate with or without sugar. I had mine without sugar and found that my hot chocolate was more bitter than I am use to, but I still liked it just fine. When we arrived at the launch location we were given garments that were at the height of sea kayaking fashion. We started with our own swimsuits then put on polyurethane long underwear, a wet suit tank top, an oval rubber skirt which hung over the torso via suspenders, a water resistant jacket came next, and a life preserver with attached whistle completed the outfit. We were absolutely ravishing. Jeremy and I added our own accessories of hat, sunglasses, and bug repellant. Apparently there are mosquitos on the west coast but we didn't see any. We did however see black flies. Later on that day I would discover that the only place that I forgot to put bug repellant on was the only place that the black flies found tasty.  After a quick lesson on how to paddle and how to climb back into the kayak should it tip over, which Jeremy and I demonstrated for the group, we got into our kayaks, fitted our skirts over the kayak lid to keep water out of our kayak, and pushed off. We had two person vessels and I was in the back where the steering rudders were located while Jeremy was in the front. It was the most tiring day of our vacation. We maneuvered right up to mountain cliffs, saw magnificent waterfalls up close and pitted ourselves against nature.  We did in fact steer our kayak against the current many times and boy did it hurt! Our muscles were aching. We had lunch on a secluded pebble beach accessible only via the water. The R & R was much appreciated. Afterward we got back into the kayaks and paddled around some more. My favorite afternoon adventure was navigating around fallen and partially submerged trees while trying to stay close to the cliff where the opposing current was weaker but where falling rocks could give you quite a headache if you got unlucky enough to encounter one on its way down. As we approached our landing site we rafted our kayaks together and the outer teams unfurled and  held a sail to catch the wind while the people in the back of the inner two kayaks, one of which was me, steered us home.   After changing back into our regular clothes and stowing our equipment we all hopped back into the bus and drove back to Te Anau. We stopped five times. The first time was simply to provide us with a restroom break at the Milford Sound ship dock. Our second stop was at the Chasm Walk where we saw the Cleddau River plunging through eroded boulders in a deep narrow chasm with several small beautiful waterfalls.  Our third stop was at the end of the Homer Tunnel, which is a very cool New Zealand engineering marvel. Homer tunnel was a partially hand dug steep tunnel that goes under the Southern Alps to provide an easier route to the western coast.  After a bus tried and failed to turn around inside, the government decided to put traffic signals at either end so that only one direction of traffic was moving within the tunnel at a time. That same bus also somehow managed to wedge itself in so good that it ended up breaking and filled the tunnel with smoke. Thus they also added lights inside to increase visibility--although I have to wonder what the probability of a similar event occurring again is.  We next stopped at a small rest station for afternoon tea/coffee/hot chocolate and cookies. I, of course, again had the no-sugar-added hot chocolate while Jeremy had his traditional black coffee. Our last stop was at a turnout on the road where we could get to a glacial stream to fill our water bottles.  It would seem that our guide scoffed at the Department of Conservation warnings that we shouldn't drink water straight from the streams because of the small chance of contracting giardiasis, which has symptoms akin to food poisoning. Apparently symptoms can appear several weeks after exposure to the parasite, but luckily, as of the writing of this diary anyway, we have been perfectly healthy. The glacial streams themselves were absolutely beautiful however. The water was light blue. Our guide told us that the streams got their color from the dissolved minerals present in the water. I have never seen rivers that were that particular shade of blue before, they were almost aqua.  At last we made it back to Te Anau and after quarreling over laundry and having a quick dinner at The Moose fell into an exhausted sleep.  

Day 7, Monday December 6  

The next morning we woke up too late to take the tour of the Te Anau glowworm caves, which I really regretted later on. Afterward we packed up and headed out to Dunedin. The drive across the island was really rather forgettable. We stopped by Balclutha for lunch. With a population of 4130 it is the largest town in South Otago. The Lonely Planet suggested "265 Restaurant" which we naively took to mean that the restaurant was called "265 Restaurant". What it actually meant was that there was a restaurant with a street number of 265 and a street name which was apparently unimportant. Nevertheless, we somehow managed to arrive right around lunch time and found the establishment completely empty. There was not even a waiter in sight. We were a little bit worried, but someone eventually did show us to a table and the food turned out to be really delicious. I had a strange craving for fish which I indulged in and luckily did not regret. Jeremy had a tasty pot pie.   Before heading out to our hotel in Dunedin we stopped by Cadbury World. We went on the chocolate factory tour and got lots of free samples. After seeing a badly produced short DVD on what goes on in the Cadbury factory we were handed out hairnets and introduced to our guide. Jeremy thought that she looked like a British school mistress. She showed us the process whereby cocoa beans become different types of chocolate, how chocolate dots are made, and how the chocolates can be machine wrapped.  At one point she mentioned that there was about to be a shift change. That explained why some of the employees looked a little less that thrilled to be there. I too would be a little grouchy at the end of the day. We got to try all different kinds of candy like Crunchies (golden Hokey Pokey covered in milk chocolate), Moro Bars (milk chocolate coated caramel and nougatine), Caramel Chews (caramel flavored confectionary covered in chocolate), Buzzes (milk chocolate covered marshmallow and caramel), Curly Wurlys (curly q's of milk chocolate with a carmel center), Flakes (swirls and curls of milk chocolate), Twirls (swirls and curls of milk chocolate), Peppy Chews (peppermint confectionary viscoplastic candy, caramel layer with a chocolate covering), Chocolate Fish (chocolate covered marshmallow fish), Perkynana (banana flavored chew bar covered in milk chocolate), Turkish Delights (fruit flavored gummy candy covered in milk chocolate), and Pinkys (pink marshmallow and caramel covered in milk chocolate). They also explained why Cadbury Eggs are so expensive. Apparently, because of their unique shape, they need to be wrapped and packaged by hand unlike most of their other products.   That afternoon we also stopped by the nearest Day & Night store, popular corner convenience stores in New Zealand, and discovered that they had an ice cream counter. Jeremy had a single scoop of Hokey Pokey. I had a double scoop of Dots and Mint Chip. Yummy! Our hotel called "755 Regal Court Motel". Again 755 refereed to the street number. The proprietor welcomed us in when we arrived and personally escorted us to our room. Our accommodations were absolutely wonderful. It was spacious, had a small balcony, and a 6' spa bath. Interestingly, when I filled the bath with water, the water was the same aqua blue as the glacial streams. It was here while indulging in the spa bath that I noticed about a dozen angry red bug bites, each about 1/2" wide, on my left ankle and two on my right. Unfortunately nothing I put on them made them disappear and even today, several weeks after my kayaking adventure, the splotches have only faded to light pink.  

Day 8, Tuesday December 7  

We walked to a little cafe in The Octagon, the city center of Dunedin, for breakfast. I had an absolutely delicious egg benedict topped with a portobello mushroom and covered with a yellow sauce. Jeremy had corn fritters, which were shaped like a pancake, and salsa. I found it kind of strange that mushrooms and tomatoes outside of omlets were considered breakfast foods, but after tasting our dishes, I have to say that I was happily surprised. Afterward we stopped by a few stores and then hopped into the car and drove to the Otago Peninsula. The peninsula is only a short drive from downtown Dunedin. It is on this peninsula that the only castle in New Zealand can be found. Larnach Castle, if one can forget the sad history of its inhabitants for a moment, was quite beautiful and very impressive. The views from the tower into the Otago Harbour were magnificent.  From the castle we traveled north to the Yellow Eyed Penguin Conservation Reserve. From specially constructed viewing huts and trenches we were able to see the penguins in their natural habitat up close and personal. These are the rarest penguins in the world, perhaps because unlike other species of penguins these are antisocial. They hunt by themselves and if one pair of penguins can see another in their nest they tend not to produce offspring. Unfortunately when we arrived the penguin babies had been hard hit by a virus which wiped out about 90% of all chicks in New Zealand. At the Reserve, five were still left because of the efforts of the staff and high doses of antibiotics. Also at the reserve were a few blue penguins. Since these small penguins are nocturnal we could only see them sitting in their darkened man-made nest houses. Since the Reserve is near water we also saw several lazy seals near the beach.  After emerging from the Penguin Conservation Reserve we traveled to the tip of the Otago Peninsula to see the Royal Albatross colony. Unfortunately we arrived rather late and the next available tour departed two hours later so we decided to skip the tour. Instead, we walked around the visitor center which had several fun and informative displays and videos. Right outside however we were lucky enough to see some of these enormous birds flying around. Some of the larger ones can have wingspans up to about nine feet long.  We had time to go for a quick hike on the Pacific Ocean side of the Otago Peninsula around Mt. Sandy. We hiked through a private pasture and got to see grazing sheep only a few feet away. We walked to two geologic features. The first was called Lovers Leap, a natural rock bridge, and the second was called The Chasm. The nearby cliffs were spectacular as well. I thought that some of the cliffs looked volcanic.  After dinner at a Thai noodle place we again tried to find a glowworm dell that was supposedly near our hotel. We must have traveled every little back road in that area but we never found it. Defeated, we simply went back to our hotel room and soaked in the tub.                                               

Day 9, Wednesday December 8 

This morning we again stopped by the Day & Night store to pick up a quick breakfast of juice, blueberry muffins, and croissants. We also bought small prepackaged lunches which we thought would be good for our hikes in Mt. Cook. On our way out of town we stopped by Baldwin St., which according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is the steepest street in the world.  As we were walking up it we saw this man skipping down the street. I later decided that he must be officially crazy because I saw him walk back up several times only to do it again. On our way back to the car we walked by another Day & Night store and I indulged in a white chocolate dipped vanilla ice cream bar made by Cadbury.   We traveled up Hwy 1 to a little town called Moeraki whose big attraction were these large spherical boulders that line the beach. It is thought that they were eroded from the mudstone cliffs as the ocean pounded away at it over time. Next we turned onto Hwy 83 and stopped by Duntroon and the Vanished World Centre. There we saw fossil penguins and dolphins as well as examples of native rocks. There was a poster of the tectonics and seismicity of New Zealand that I was especially interested in, but which they had unfortunately sold out of. They also had several examples of these really cool hollow pebbles that somehow managed to have sand inside of them. Next we traveled north on Hwy 8 to a little town called Twizel where we had lunch. It was here that Jeremy was finally able to satisfy his craving of fish and chips that started shortly after Haast! We stopped by this quaint little place where I found out that their milkshakes were just milk and flavoring. For an extra fee one could however add ice cream. How strange!  Right before we arrived in Mt. Cook, we stopped by Glentanner Park where we heard that we could book guided horse treks of the surrounding countryside during the summer. They hadn't started their program yet, but they were able to book us a trek with the MacKenzie Alpine Trekking Company at nearby Lake Tekapo in two days. Luckily that suited us just fine. What we later found out was that it is usual to give the horses a break over the winter by letting them loose. In late spring they start rounding the horses up again and getting them use to being ridden again. This apparently takes some time since there were horses at Glentanner but apparently they were not ready to be ridden yet.  We stayed at The Hermitage in Mt. Cook. They have all types of accommodations from campervan hookups to deluxe hotel suites. It was amazing to us how common campervan hookups were in New Zealand. Had we known before we left on vacation, we might have seriously considered renting a campervan. In any event I had booked a chalet but when we actually checked in, they gave us a free upgrade to a motel room. On paper the amenities in the two rooms are the same. The only difference is that a chalet has one double bed and four single beds while the motel room only had one queen bed. We loved our room. It had a little patio area in the back where we could see the nighttime constellations. They were mostly all different from what we were use to seeing, and the ones that we could identify were all upside down! We also had a pair of ducks that occasionally came by to say hello. In the bathroom there was a heater that only had an on button. I was slightly disturbed when I discovered after I turned on the heater by hitting a glowing red button that I couldn't turn it off no mater how many times I pushed it again. When I showered afterward I discovered that the heater turned itself off after about 20 minutes. Before dinner we hiked along the Kea Point Walk which started just outside the hotel and took us through subalpine grasslands with spectacular views of Mt. Cook and the Hooker Valley. The walk ended at a viewing deck which overlooked Mueller Lake and Mueller Glacier.  Mt. Cook towered off in the distance. I mentioned to Jeremy that it seemed like there was a face of snow on the mountain and when he looked at it again he said that he thought so too. We had a casual dinner at the Chamois Bar where the food and beer were great but it must have taken about an hour before food arrived.  

Day 10, Thursday December 9 

We received free continental breakfast coupons upon arrival the day before which we redeemed this morning. The breakfast was surprisingly good and filling with an assortment of breads, pastries, cereals, fruit, yogurt, juice and coffee. I also noticed that along with the traditional low-fat milk, whole milk and soy milk were also available.   After breakfast we hiked along the Hooker Valley Track which crosses the Hooker River twice via swing bridges before arriving at Hooker Glacier terminal lake.  While walking to the the lake Jeremy and I were lucky enough to see a small avalanche occur on a mountain off in the distance. When we arrived at the lake we had a leisurely lunch on the pebble beach. Jeremy scampered around on the larger boulders that lined the lake edge and tried to show me how to skip stones. On the lake itself were several small icebergs. As we were leaving Jeremy launched a rock missile attack at the nearest floating offender. When I asked him why, he (probably correctly) said that I wouldn't understand because I was a girl. On the hike back we heard several loud snaps which we thought might be small avalanches but were probably just the glacier crackling since we didn't see another avalanche that day.  When we arrived back at the trailhead we got into our car, a little white boxy Holden, and drove a bit down Tasman Valley road to a little area with two small hikes. The first took us down to Tasman Lake via a rather boring gravel track. Unlike most lakes that we had seen in New Zealand, this lake was slate grey and a little sad looking. The second hike took us near the Blue Lakes, which were really more of a seaweed green in my opinion. Past the lakes and up a rather steep path we climbed to the summit of the mountain ridge and saw Tasman Glacier and realized that Tasman Lake abutted the glacier to the north. Interestingly, near the lake the glacier was covered by rocks and debris.  While on these hikes we often saw helicopters or fixed wing aircraft giving scenic tours of the mountains and glaciers. Jeremy was immensely jealous.  That night we had dinner in the Alpine Room which served an absolutely delicious buffet. There were half a dozen different types of salads, several soups, sushi, cooked cold venison slivers, lamb with mint sauce, roast beef, and various cooked veggies. There was also a dessert table with several different offerings. The cold venison was interesting and a bit chewy. The lamb was superb.  

Day 11, Friday December 10  

After a continental breakfast we packed up our car and headed directly to the MacKenzie Alpine Trekking Company near Lake Tekapo. On our way we passed by Lake Pukaki which was such a stunning shade of blue that it took my breath away.  Once we arrived at our destination our horses were already saddled so we just had to get aquatinted with our horses and figure out how to mount them. Our group consisted of myself, Jeremy, our guide, and an apparent guide in training. Since it was starting to get windy we took a shorter, more sheltered mountain trek that took us up a nearby hill which overlooked Lake Tekapo.  This was the first time that I rode a horse and it was pretty cool. Our one hour guided trek was quickly over but Jeremy and I had a wonderful time.  From Lake Tekapo we continued northeast toward Christchurch. We stopped by a small town right on the highway to eat lunch at a park. We had originally planned to have an outdoor picnic, but since it started to rain we ended up parking near a small park and eating lunch in the car while watching two vanfulls of children get out only to come right back in when it started raining harder. Just south of Christchurch we encountered a town called Templeton.  Jeremy was a little nervous to be driving in a city but we arrived at Stonehurst Backpackers just fine. Nevertheless, we did decide to walk to dinner that night instead of taking the car.  While sitting at dinner that night, I took a moment to be grateful that we took the one hour horse tour instead of the longer one we were contemplating.

Day 12, Saturday December 11  

This morning we visited several wineries, including one in Templeton. The wines were very different than those I have tasted in Napa or Sonoma, especially the pinot noirs which were a deeper red and had an earthier taste to them.  The last winery we visited was on the Akaroa Peninsula. There we stopped for lunch at The French Farm and shared a cheese board and a salad. I was feeling lazy so we came back to Christchurch and just walked around the city.   That night we went to The Maori Experience at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. This was an interactive cultural show which transformed our tour group into a neighboring visiting tribe. We had to choose a king and a princess. When we arrived at the Maori village a warrrior emerged to challenged us to determine if we were friend or foe. After a fearsome display he threw down a feather which our king picked up. We were then welcomed into the village. Our king met their king and shared a breath of life while touching foreheads. Several traditional songs were sung, some of which required several  "volunteers" from the audience.  After the show we were given a guided tour of the Reserve. We saw a variety of native and introduced wildlife including eels, boars, swans, and kiwi.  Our guide told us to beware of the male swan because, since his mate was breeding, he had become very territorial. After the tour we went into the visitor center and had a buffet that included hangi cooked chicken and veggies...as well as soup, salad, bread, lamb, roast beef, and a dessert table. I was a little surprised because all of the pamphlets had lead me to believe that this was going to be a traditional Maori dinner. In any case, the dinner was still very good.                                                          

Day 13, Sunday December 12  

This was our last day in New Zealand. We checked out of our hotel and went to the Canterbury Museum in the morning. There was an excellent Maori collection which also included several moa skeletons. The moa were large flightless birds that were hunted to extinction in New Zealand. Also at the museum was an early European collection which included early women's fashions.  After the museum we dropped off the rental car and boarded the free shuttle to the airport. After checking in early we followed a pair of blue footsteps right outside the domestic terminal to the International Antarctic Centre. It was a pleasant 10 minute walk. We spent over 2 hours at the Centre leisurely taking in all the exhibits. At the front entrance were several mannequins dressed in traditional Antarctic gear from several nations. The American and Japanese outfits were just what I would expect people to wear in such freezing temperatures: i.e. thick hooded parkas, insulated boots, and special breathing masks. The Russian outfit included a leather bomber jacket and a thick scarf. There were informational videos of the New Zealand operation in Antarctica and how the team functions during the summer and dreary, sunless winter months. There was also an aquatic tank filled with Antarctic sea creatures. It was a very enjoyable experience.  We got back to the airport only to discover that our plane was late. Apparently there were some baggage problems in Australia which caused our plane to leave late. This made us  miss our connection in Los Angeles. But luckily we got the last two seats on the last American Airlines flight out for the day. Adjusting for the time difference, it took us 24 hours to get back to San Francisco. My ankles were swollen and my back was aching but it was good to be home.                                                                    

Active Tectonics Research Group at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
University of California, Berkeley