I can't believe that I only have a month left in New Zealand. I haven't been out of Dunedin since mid semester break, but it's been really nice to be around here. The weather has been amazing recently, and although it's starting to get noticeably chillier, we've had a lot of clear sunny days. I've been taking a class on wine tasting called Discover Wine through the uni. There are 7 of us in the class, and we show up every Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. for a 2-hour tasting/information session on different types of wine. We sit at a long table with big candles and 6 bottles of wine per class, with a little tray of bread and grapes in the middle. Quite enjoyable. I usually consider myself to be a white wine person over red, but through taking this class I've started to change that idea. The sickly sweet dessert wines don't appeal to me as much as they used to (not that I consume much wine...) and it's been interesting to learn about the different types of grapes and regions of wine making. The instructor, Geoff Weston, is the owner of a winery near Dunedin that is (I believe) the southernmost winery in the world. For our final class this week we each have to buy a bottle of wine and we're going to take them out to his winery to enjoy.
Went to another rugby game last night - Highlanders vs. Lions. It was a fun game to go to, and much more mellow than the previous one, since there weren't as many students there. Got a free pint at The Baa afterward, too!
This week is the final week of classes, and then exams begin. Apparently exams here are a big deal, because they're typically worth about 50% of your grade, which is a little different than what I'm used to at Whitman. I've got exams on June 9th, 18th, and then two on the 21st. With the nice break between my first and second exam slots my flatmate Rina and I decided to book tickets to Australia for six days. Good timing! Looking forward to the trip though - maybe I can get a bit of color before heading back home and being the ghostly New Zealander that I have been as of late!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Roadtrip of the South Island
Two weeks ago marked the start of our mid-semester break, which provided a welcome escape from Dunedin. My flatmate Sam and I decided that for our week off we would rent a car and drive all over the South Island and see everything we possibly could. We made 8 CDs each for the car, and after packing up our backpacks we headed out.
Initially we were intending to buy groceries on our way out of town, but the day of our departure was conveniently Good Friday, which meant that all of the supermarkets were closed. Who knew that New Zealand adhered so closely to Catholicism? We pooled our rations and our crackers and peanut butter lasted us for the drive to Te Anau. We checked into our hostel, went to an early dinner at 5:30, finished dinner by 6, and were back in our hostel (and in our beds) at 6:15. Our exhaustion from driving and from life in Dunedin had finally caught up with us, and it was a struggle to stay awake until 9, which we determined was an ideal time to go to bed. The next morning we woke up early and caught a water taxi across Lake Te Anau, where we began a hike upwards to the Mt. Luxmore Hut. This trail is a segment of the Kepler Track, which is a multi-day tramp. We opted for the shorter, less grueling hike, although it was quite steep and took us awhile. I had not had a chance to break in my new hiking boots (thanks, mom and dad!) and the coming down process was quite long and arduous. The whole tramp took us about 8 hours return, and the last hour was so bleak it was humorous.
We spent one more night in Te Anau, then departed on Sunday and headed toward the Franz Josef Glacier. Checked into our hostel, then wandered around the tiny town of Franz Josef. The next morning we walked into town where we had booked a glacier guided walk. We got geared up and boarded a bus which shuttled us out to the glacier. It was about a 45 minute walk in to the glacier, and we spent around an hour on the ice. We had crampons, which was quite a strange feeling. I was a little uneasy about being on top of a glacier at first, especially since our guide kept saying things like, "See that hole? If you fall in there, you're a goner" which was not very reassuring. But it turned out to be less of an actual hike/walk and more of a stroll around the glacier, since it had been raining the previous two days, which had washed away a good chunk of the trail. Overall it was less thrilling than I expected, but it was definitely cool to see the glacier and to walk around on it!
The next two nights we spent just outside of St. Arnaud at a bed & breakfast called Wairau Pass B&B. This was definitely a highlight of the trip, due primarily to the generosity and overall spirit of the owner, Helen. We each had our own rooms which were amazing, and we welcomed a chance to use a legitimately nice shower after having spent the past few nights in hostels. Helen spoiled us with nice meals, cups of cocoa, cookies, and even a guided tour of her favorite nearby trail.
After St. Arnaud we headed to Blenheim, aka wine country. We rented bikes in Renwick, which is just down the road from Blenheim, and ventured out to start our day of wine tasting. We started at around 10:30 a.m. and went to several wineries, biking along the highway between all of them. It was a beautiful autumn day, and we were both loving being on bikes and tasting good wine. We stopped and had lunch at a winery, and also split a bottle of wine. Then we proceeded to go to several more wineries, where we each bought a couple of bottles. As you can imagine, the day got more and more ridiculous as we went along, and our biking became a bit less reliable. There was a group of middle aged women who were also doing a wine tour, but they were being driven around. They got quite a kick out of our biking escapades, and would cheer every time we would make it to a new winery. It was quite a silly and enjoyable day, and I'm looking forward to bringing home the bottles of wine that I bought during our adventure.
The next day we drove to Mt. Cook National Park, which was stunning. Absolutely breathtaking to drive into, and the weather was sunny and clear, which made viewing Mt. Cook a possibility. We stayed one night in a hostel, and had planned to hike up to the Mueller Hut which has views of Mt. Cook and stay there the following night, but decided against staying in the hut and opted instead for a day hike up. This hike was really tough, and involved clambering over large rocks and walking at a steep uphill for several hours. We hiked for about two and a half hours, and decided to go back down since we were driving to Queenstown that afternoon rather than staying in the hut. Grueling hike, but it had great views, and was a killer leg workout.
We went to Queenstown a day early than planned, and checked into our first hotel, which had lakeside views and big, comfy beds. We got takeout Indian food the first night, and ended up lounging and watching movies - quite a luxury! The next day, we decided to do a jet boat ride through Skipper's Canyon, which was really fun and quite the adrenaline rush. This boat was much smaller than the other jet boat I went on in the Rogue River, and therefore could go a lot faster. We finished the afternoon with ice cream on the waterfront, reading by the pool, a delicious dinner, and more hotel room movie watching. It was a perfectly relaxing end to our time away from Dunedin.
We were both a little hesitant to go back to Dunedin after having such a good time exploring and adventuring around, but it was nice to come back to our little flat and hear about how everyone's weeks had been. It's crazy to think that I have less than two months here, and that I have less than one month left of classes. Looking forward to making the most of the rest of my experience here!
P.S. Happy Mother's Day, mom!
Initially we were intending to buy groceries on our way out of town, but the day of our departure was conveniently Good Friday, which meant that all of the supermarkets were closed. Who knew that New Zealand adhered so closely to Catholicism? We pooled our rations and our crackers and peanut butter lasted us for the drive to Te Anau. We checked into our hostel, went to an early dinner at 5:30, finished dinner by 6, and were back in our hostel (and in our beds) at 6:15. Our exhaustion from driving and from life in Dunedin had finally caught up with us, and it was a struggle to stay awake until 9, which we determined was an ideal time to go to bed. The next morning we woke up early and caught a water taxi across Lake Te Anau, where we began a hike upwards to the Mt. Luxmore Hut. This trail is a segment of the Kepler Track, which is a multi-day tramp. We opted for the shorter, less grueling hike, although it was quite steep and took us awhile. I had not had a chance to break in my new hiking boots (thanks, mom and dad!) and the coming down process was quite long and arduous. The whole tramp took us about 8 hours return, and the last hour was so bleak it was humorous.
We spent one more night in Te Anau, then departed on Sunday and headed toward the Franz Josef Glacier. Checked into our hostel, then wandered around the tiny town of Franz Josef. The next morning we walked into town where we had booked a glacier guided walk. We got geared up and boarded a bus which shuttled us out to the glacier. It was about a 45 minute walk in to the glacier, and we spent around an hour on the ice. We had crampons, which was quite a strange feeling. I was a little uneasy about being on top of a glacier at first, especially since our guide kept saying things like, "See that hole? If you fall in there, you're a goner" which was not very reassuring. But it turned out to be less of an actual hike/walk and more of a stroll around the glacier, since it had been raining the previous two days, which had washed away a good chunk of the trail. Overall it was less thrilling than I expected, but it was definitely cool to see the glacier and to walk around on it!The next two nights we spent just outside of St. Arnaud at a bed & breakfast called Wairau Pass B&B. This was definitely a highlight of the trip, due primarily to the generosity and overall spirit of the owner, Helen. We each had our own rooms which were amazing, and we welcomed a chance to use a legitimately nice shower after having spent the past few nights in hostels. Helen spoiled us with nice meals, cups of cocoa, cookies, and even a guided tour of her favorite nearby trail.
After St. Arnaud we headed to Blenheim, aka wine country. We rented bikes in Renwick, which is just down the road from Blenheim, and ventured out to start our day of wine tasting. We started at around 10:30 a.m. and went to several wineries, biking along the highway between all of them. It was a beautiful autumn day, and we were both loving being on bikes and tasting good wine. We stopped and had lunch at a winery, and also split a bottle of wine. Then we proceeded to go to several more wineries, where we each bought a couple of bottles. As you can imagine, the day got more and more ridiculous as we went along, and our biking became a bit less reliable. There was a group of middle aged women who were also doing a wine tour, but they were being driven around. They got quite a kick out of our biking escapades, and would cheer every time we would make it to a new winery. It was quite a silly and enjoyable day, and I'm looking forward to bringing home the bottles of wine that I bought during our adventure.The next day we drove to Mt. Cook National Park, which was stunning. Absolutely breathtaking to drive into, and the weather was sunny and clear, which made viewing Mt. Cook a possibility. We stayed one night in a hostel, and had planned to hike up to the Mueller Hut which has views of Mt. Cook and stay there the following night, but decided against staying in the hut and opted instead for a day hike up. This hike was really tough, and involved clambering over large rocks and walking at a steep uphill for several hours. We hiked for about two and a half hours, and decided to go back down since we were driving to Queenstown that afternoon rather than staying in the hut. Grueling hike, but it had great views, and was a killer leg workout.
We went to Queenstown a day early than planned, and checked into our first hotel, which had lakeside views and big, comfy beds. We got takeout Indian food the first night, and ended up lounging and watching movies - quite a luxury! The next day, we decided to do a jet boat ride through Skipper's Canyon, which was really fun and quite the adrenaline rush. This boat was much smaller than the other jet boat I went on in the Rogue River, and therefore could go a lot faster. We finished the afternoon with ice cream on the waterfront, reading by the pool, a delicious dinner, and more hotel room movie watching. It was a perfectly relaxing end to our time away from Dunedin.We were both a little hesitant to go back to Dunedin after having such a good time exploring and adventuring around, but it was nice to come back to our little flat and hear about how everyone's weeks had been. It's crazy to think that I have less than two months here, and that I have less than one month left of classes. Looking forward to making the most of the rest of my experience here!
P.S. Happy Mother's Day, mom!
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