Don takes in the view from the Old Slaughter House
There are some aspects of the trip that B&A can’t touch, such as the flight into Chch. Since B&A landed in Auckland and took the ferry across, they missed all the magnificent views from the plane. Don and I were mesmerized even before we landed in Auckland. I, a lover of sunsets and sunrises, was blown away by the sunrise as we approached Auckland. My only disappointment was a lack of a picture window on the plane. Surely the transportation industry is missing the point when they don’t market the views from the skies, as no one else is able to compete against them.
Linda and Don enjoy the sunset (over the Tasman Sea, not the Southern Alps)
Once we resumed our short trip from Auckland to Chch, Don and I were glued to the window, both fighting for the best view. The scenery was unrivaled and unending. The Southern Alps, which NZ is famous for, were often beyond our vision during the land trip because of the cloud cover. Not so in the skies. These tall peaks, covered with snow, jutted through the clouds trying to reach out to the plane. They were absolutely glorious, and a good welcoming to the South Island. Beyond the mountains and the clouds we were greeted by the vineyards, sometimes covered with red netting, and remote roads, seemingly going nowhere for miles and miles. Only in the air can you really see how unpopulated and unspoiled NZ is. New Zealanders have a paradise, and they know it.
B&A also introduced us to the world of hostels. For those of you who are not familiar with this term as used in NZ, a hostel, or BBH, is a larger home with many bedrooms which include singles, doubles, and dorms. They provide, if you are lucky, multiple bathrooms, and kitchens. Sometimes you are asked to leave you shoes at the door, and always to clean up the kitchen after your meal. We were more often than not able to stay at the best hostels, and once, Becky informed me, our hostel had the best rating in the world--that would be the ‘Old Slaughter House’. This hostel, built on the side of a steep hill, included a ten minute hike up the hill in order to reach it. We were fortunate as our host, David, brought our luggage up on his four-wheeler, saving our backs and our lungs.
Don discusses his latest journal entry with Becky, while Andrew enjoys appetizers at that evening's backpackers
David had other amenities not offered by most hostels. Of course, the best one, as far as I was concerned, was the sunset. We could watch the sun as it sank into the ocean from David’s wrap-around porch high on the side of the hill. He also offered hot water bottles to keep us snug as a bug at night. Did I mention before that these hostels do not have central heat? Well they don’t. No comforts like home! Some supplied small electric heaters; others fireplaces. But not David, he supplied hot water bottles, and I am going to run out and buy them for my girls to use this winter when they come home for visits. They’ll just love it.
Living in a hostel also gave us the opportunity to cook and enjoy all our meals together. Thanks to Becky this usually came off without a hitch. Most kitchens, as far as I was concerned, only had the most basic supplies. But Becky managed to cook varied and healthy meals. However, she expected Don and me to take turns with her and Andrew. This included, not only the cooking, but the planning, the buying, the storing, the dishwashing, etc. etc. Most meals came off pretty well, but then there was the night of the omelets. What a disaster that was! I won’t even go into it. Thank God there were nights we eat out or had smoked salmon, or mussels at David’s or the nights that Chris and Belinda cooked for us. Those were great nights! Chris made us a traditional NZ pavlova cake. I tried to replicate it last night for my friend Pam. It was nothing like Chris’s. In fact, I had to make it twice. The first time it just fell apart; the second time it did again, but I was forced to use it. The only saving grace was the whipped cream, strawberries, and kiwis. Anyway, Pam acted like it was great. Thank goodness for friends.
Unlike some of our friends, who have toured NZ via a cruise ship, we were fortunate to tour the country in B&A’s Subaru, affectionately called ‘Ron Burgundy’. Because of this reliable hunk of machinery, we saw places most tourists never get to see. It took us up the highest mountains and to the most desolate beaches such as Gore Bay, where we saw our first bull kelp. If you don’t know any better, when you see it floating in the ocean, it looks like a seal. Ron took us to Farewell Spit, a narrow peninsula consisting of sand, seals, and a Gannet Colony. This peninsula, much like the 90 mile beach on the north island is restricted to one tour company so it is vastly desolate.
We wade across a tidal pool to make our way to the gannet colony at Farewell Spit
Did I mention that Ron only knows how to drive on the left hand side of the road? Don was able to experience this first hand, the day he volunteered to drive. The ‘golden rule’ according to Don is keep the driver in the middle of the road; left turns are like right turns and right turns are like left turns unless it is a gentlemen’s turn (ask Becky or Andrew for clarification). And, then there are give ways, round-abouts, judder bars, and one-lane bridge give ways. Also, New Zealanders are speedsters, never staying within the posted speed limit, always looking for the opportunity to pass you.
Don behind the wheel of Ron Burgandy
We had fun; let’s do it again in 2011.
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