New Zealand Discoverer
Day One – 26 Feb 2012 – Day of the Hike!
Weather: Cloud, sun, some rain, 18
I slept a rock solid 11 hours. Woke up at 2:30 to someone slamming the doors down the hallway. I mean, who slams a door in a hotel at 2:30 in the morning?
Who does it about 20 times in a half hour?
Well, I had slept almost 6 hours by then and thankfully got back to sleep. Woke at 7 and saw that Meercat Manor was on Animal Planet. Yup. Going back to sleep was out of the question.
I went right away to get some breakfast. Nice selection of hot items. Eggs done four or five different ways – Eggs Benedict, poached, scrambled, fried and something else. I had a mini-feast and went back to my room to try to use up the remainder of my internet limit. Didn’t use it all, though I tried. Real hard.
Heh.
At 8:45, I went down to the lobby to pay for my internet and the one phone call I made to my transfer. The internet was $16.
At this rate, I’ll have to start charging people to read this tale. Heh.
So far, it is, without exception, the most expensive country I’ve visited yet on tour. And I have been here a day.
Granted, I haven’t been to Switzerland on tour yet.
So, I abused my Visa card to pay for the internet and went out to wait for my transfer. A few buses came and went then one with a trailer showed up and the driver, Frank, came right up to me. I must have had that “I’m a tourist going to the Terrance Downs Resort” written all over me. He loaded my luggage into the trailer and a couple from Minnesota showed up. Then he found out the other two couples had been told 9:30, so we went to the airport to pick up the mother/daughter coming from BC there. We returned to the Sudima and picked up two couples – one from Alberta and the other from Nova Scotia.
Canadians rule this tour so far! Woohoo!
As we pulled out of the hotel, it started to rain. No problem. I had checked the radar and saw that it was a narrow band and would pass in an hour or so. As we drove, Frank played tour director (and I am relaying what he and others tell me, so I can’t vouch for the authenticity).
He told us that the damage from the earthquake was quite severe and that some 700 buildings were still in need of repair (someone else told me 7000).
He noted that liquefaction had been a big problem so that some buildings lost support underneath causing part of it to sink. They estimate the quake has cost some 30 billion in insurance payouts (if I heard him right).
He said after the quake, the first business to turn its lights on was the casino.
The quake did close 20 of the 27 hotels which is why we’re going outside the city. (The current tour stays in Christchurch now).
We didn’t get to see anything of Christchurch. We headed straight out of the city for the hour drive to our resort. It’s immediately obvious that agriculture is a major industry here. Frank said that a lot of farms close to the city are really hobby farms where the farmer works in the city but has a few acres or a few animals etc. The farms are larger farther out. He said the other industries are fishing, wine making, sheep farming and cattle. He noted that New Zealand dairy products are sold worldwide. He said he knew of one farm with 3000 head of cattle where the cows are milked automatically and need only two people to clean up and watch over the cows. The cows are tagged so that when they go into the stall, the computer can even connect the you-know-whats automatically.
The whole area is quite flat and is called the Canterbury Plains. It was formed from all the alluvial discharge from the mountains over millions of years. The fields are bordered by tall pine hedges to use as wind breaks. Apparently, they get a lot of wind here.
We drove through Darfield, a little farming community. Took about three minutes.
Outside the town, we saw fields of red deer.
Frank said that when people first settled New Zealand, there were no animals. Birds, yes. No animals. So, you can just imagine what happened. Introduce one animal, it becomes a pest, introduce another to prey on them and they become a pest.
The red deer were introduced in order to hunt for sport in the 1800s and they took over, so after WWII, they began culling the deer. The hunters would hunt the deer, shoot them, take their ears and leave the carcass to rot. They’d be paid by the ear, but in the 60s, someone got the idea that they should sell the meat instead of letting it rot. Eventually, people started to farm them and apparently they have a less gamey taste than wild deer.
Another pest was the possum. They were brought in for their fur (possums have fur? Who knew!) and they became worst than rabbits. (Yeah, they brought in rabbits too). They tried to kill off the possums until someone got the idea of combining their fur with wool and it makes a blend that is cool in summer and warm in winter.
The battle with the rabbit is still going on.
I should tell them that they’re gonna lose that one.
They brought in ferrets to control them.
I should tell them that they’re gonna regret that too.
But I think they know. The ferrets are eating the bird’s eggs. Luckily, no one has introduced snakes yet. And I haven’t seen any cats yet.
Hmm. I could introduce them. No problem.
Frank went on to say there are 1 million people on the south island and he said it’s nice cause so few on such a large island means it’s pretty peaceful. Talk about preaching to the choir. There are less than 1/2 million in Newfoundland.
Not counting the moose.
Yeah. We introduced them too.
(Hey, New Zealand! Don’t! Last thing you need is a 1 ton speed bump wandering your highways after dark.)
The north island has more than 3 million.
Frank said they don’t have a problem with boat people here like they do in Australia. He said that if any of them make it all the way to New Zealand in the kind of boats they use, he said they’d obviously have some skills and would be welcomed to stay.
As we approach the resort, we pass through a town called Windwhistle.
Yup. A lot of wind.
(Though, there is a town in Newfoundland called Wreckhouse. If you want to hear the wind whistle, drop by. Granted, I don’t think the town is there anymore).
Despite the wind, the primary source of power is hydro for the south island. In the north, they use a lot of geo-thermal as well as coal, gas, hydro and wind. He said there was experiments going on with tidal power near Wellington where the tides can vary up to 9 feet.
As we pulled into the resort, Frank noted that the villas (Yes!! I’m in a villa!! Swanky!!) are set up like apartments in that you have two bedrooms with a common room.
At least I get a bedroom to myself. When I had first heard about this, I thought we were sharing rooms.
We pulled up to the chalet and find out that our rooms are actually ready (10:30 am). We get loaded up in a mini-van and driven up to our villas. (Yes!! I’m in a villa!!)
The driver brought my luggage in and again got the feeling that they get tipped. Gonna have to ask the TD about that. When he left, I went crazy taking pictures of the villa. (Yes! I’m in a villa!)
It has the two bedrooms (the couple who are supposed to be in the other room are not here yet). I checked out the two rooms.
The smaller one has a bigger bathroom with tub while the larger one has a smaller bathroom (just shower) but it has a TV.
Guess which one I took?
Yeah. Meercat Manor was on again. Not a hard choice.
My villa has a common area which is essentially a living room with a very large balcony with a view of the mountains. There’s a kitchen with a fridge, snacks, kettle, tea, coffee and microwave. It has an iron and board and…get this…washer and dryer.
Betcha won’t hear me list that again any day soon.
So, it’s a place meant for longer stays. We don’t call these villas at home. We call them condos.
Yes!! I’m in a condo!!!
I settled in to my condo and took a look at all the stuff we could do here. There’s golf, horseback riding, clay pigeon shooting (guess what’s for dinner) and walking trails.
I decided to try the walking trails.
Note that I said “walking” trails. LOL
I went down to reception and they gave me a map and sold me 250 megs of internet time for $20 (yeah, 250 megs…remember how fast I went through a gig at the Sudima?). So, I take this map, the one that is supposedly to show me where I’m going, and start off, walking by the driving range where a little cart was picking up golf balls.
As I got to the end, I saw no signs or anything, so I walked along the fence then heard the golf cart come up behind me.
Well, this sweet guy tells me I have to go through the gate farther up in the other direction and follow the car tracks to another gate then either take the left or right trails. Very nice of him to come after me when he saw me taking off in the wrong direction.
So, I go through the gate and meet up with two people coming in the other direction. Now, remember, it was cloudy and had been raining, so I had on my rain jacket with a long sleeved t-shirt. Those two people were stripped down to the bare essentials and had their jackets wrapped around their waists.
Not to mention they were breathing hard and sweating profusely.
That should have been my first clue.
They said hello and carried on.
Silly me…I should have followed them.
Nope. I kept walking down the gravel road.
Which soon became a grass trail with trampled grass marking the way.
And I kept walking down and down and down. Then I came to a gate where I found a nice view of the river below (way below) and the trail that goes in both directions.
I went right.
Why? I don’t know. Something about a lookout on the map.
So, I keep going. Down, down, down. The trail became something about a foot wide and muddy and took me through a jungle.
Ever seen Lost?
Now, I know how the actors must have felt after the first week. Granted, I did have a trail…of sorts.
It kept going down and by now, I’m thinking….I have to go back up this.
That was my second clue. Or should have been.
But I kept going. Came across the entrance of an old coal mine that was cut into the rock.
Then I actually came across two women. The only others on the trail. Otherwise it was completely deserted. Then I started climbing, wondering if John Locke was going to be standing on the trail somewhere. I come to a sign (finally!!) that pointed left and right. The left one said 1.5 km and the right said 700m. By then, 700m sounded so much better.
About 100m farther up, I come across a fence with steps built over them and on the other side, a field.
Yup. A field and the mooing of unseen cows.
No sign. No trail.
I climb over and look around and notice some knocked down grass and farther up is a survey pole with an orange tag on it.
Is that it? Sure. Why not. I’ve come this far.
The cow trail led up the side of the hill. And the sun peeked out.
Yes, by now, my rain jacket is in my backpack.
But I persevered. I followed the trampled grass with the melody of mooing in the background until I came to the lookout. Below me (way below me) was the river and a gorge. And a sign that said Upper River Gorge. I took pictures and recovered.
Then started back down. And up. Through streams and smooth rocks and mud. On trails not wide enough for one person. Trails with shear drop offs next to the slippery muddy trail. I passed by the sign that pointed to the other trail and said “no way” then noticed the distance listed for the walk back to the chalet.
Four point two kilometres.
Holy crap batman. Did I just walk almost 5 km? (4.2 plus the 700 metres).
Holy crap batman. Do I have to walk back another 4.2 km?
By now, my knees are shaking. On a muddy trail with shear drop offs and the sweet sound of mooing cows and rushing water below.
Never did see the cows.
I finally made it back to the grass then the gravel and then to the driving range where I would have tipped that sweet guy handsomely for a ride back to the chalet.
But he was gone.
Darn.
I trudged back to the chalet and dropped in to buy a Coke. The guy that had given me the map comes in and says “how was the walk?”
Walk. Heh.
I looked at him and said “Walk? You mean hike!”
Told him that the trail was muddy but that I had persevered and my Merrells on my feet were up to the job and he said “Yeah, I checked out your feet when I gave you the map to make sure you had the right stuff on.”
Well, if I had known they were checking out my footwear before sending me off on this “walk,” I would have opted for a round of golf. Now that’s a “walk.”
LOL.
We get to come back here on our way to the north island.
Wonder if I’d get a chance to try the left trail.
Heh.
So, I grabbed the Coke (and had thankfully bought a bottle of water before I went on my “walk,” otherwise, I’d still be down there) and I headed back to my room.
Still no roommates.
I try the internet but get nothing and call the girl at the reception who sold me the 250megs earlier. She says “Oh yeah, I tried to catch you when you came back from your trek…”
Trek!
Guys, seriously, you really need to look up the words “walking trail” in the dictionary and relabel it on your map. LOL
Anyway, lightning had shorted out their internet box and I have no connection so I have to get my $20 back but can try the complimentary wireless in the lobby. I’ll try it just before the welcome dinner.
So, I take a shower to recover and silly me decided to do a laundry at the same time but I walked into the shower and forgot I had turned on the water in the sink. Halfway through the shower (which is the type of shower that has no door and shares the floor with the rest of the bathroom), I notice a lot of water at my feet.
Holy crap batman!!
Some cleaning lady is gonna be wondering how one person managed to use six large towels in one night.
I cleaned that up, finished my laundry and settled down to type this up when my roommates show up.
They didn’t know they were getting a roommate.
Boy, did I miss out an opportunity to give two people a stroke.
I walked out to two women standing on the balcony and said hello. Then two men walk in with the bags.
Two couples?
Hey, wait a sec, I draw the line at sleeping on the couch!
Turns out, the Canadian couple stayed in Christchurch for the last ten days with the other couple (who were residents of Christchurch) had brought them out here. They are from Calgary. (More Canucks!) We chatted together for a while and they told me about the level of destruction in Christchurch. If I had known it was that bad, I would have hopped a city bus or a taxi to have a look at the re-building going on. Apparently, whole neighbourhoods are blocked off and some stores have reopened using sea containers.
And they said there was a 4.3 quake last night there.
I was in a coma at the time.
Or was that what slammed the doors like 20 times last night?
I retreated to my room after they decided to say their goodbyes to their friends. I got ready for dinner and tried to use the complimentary internet in the lobby. Apparently, the lightning took out all their internet boxes.
So I’m going through withdrawal symptoms here.
Nellie, our TD, shows up and starts in with the paperwork and then we sit down to a buffet dinner. Beef, chicken, potatoes, veggies, salad, shrimp, dessert etc.
The beef was exceptional.
We wondered if we were really eating red deer.
We also got a complimentary drink. I asked for Sprite but got something called Dry Lemonade. Imagine water with a lemon slice in it and carbonate it. Basically the same thing. Okay to drink but not the flavour of Sprite.
We chatted until around 8 pm then Nellie got the vans to shuttle us back to our villas.
Oh, excuse me. Our condos!
Heh.
There’s a beautiful moon hanging over the mountains with a star next to it. I think it’s Venus.
If I had the internet, I’d look it up.
Yup. Withdrawal.
Go to Day Two
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