West Coast

January 31, 2010

On Monday morning I went in and signed up for fruit picking. Unfortunately they don’t have any jobs until February 20th. I went for a quick run that afternoon and then met the Stray bus and headed to Marahua. The town of Marahua is located just outside Abel Tasman National Park and the backpackers I stayed at was only 1 minute from the entrance to the National Park. Five other people and I stayed in a large tent that was slightly cheaper than the dorm rooms.

We had a barbeque the first night, which included chicken, pork sausages, beef, a giant salad, hashbrowns and mussels. I tried the mussels although I have to say I was not a big fan. That night we went for a walk on the beach. The tide was out and we were able to walk a long way. We walked back in the dark and then spent some time by the fire.

The next morning Alex and I went kayaking on the coastline of Abel Tasman. It was my first time kayaking but I enjoyed it very much. After a few beach stops for some snacks, we landed at the watering cove and had some lunch. The sun came out and we sunbathed for a bit and just before we were about to leave a bumblebee stung me.

The walk back to the backpackers was quite scenic with golden beaches, lush rainforest and bright blue waters. It took us about three and a half hours but after the first hill it was relatively flat. That night, after a three-hour nap, we celebrated Laura’s 20th birthday with leftovers, ice cream and candles.

The next morning we were on the bus early. We stopped at a few spots for pictures and went to see another seal colony. We also stopped at a place called Pancake rocks. The rocks are layered and form blowholes where the water spurts out at the top. I think it was low tide when we were there so I didn’t get to see that but I think I could have sat and watched the waves crash against the rocks all day.

Next stop was Barrytown. Stray always stops here and they have a theme party that night. They have a room full of old clothes that you can use and bins full of accessories. Our theme was heroes and villains and we had people dressed up as Super Stray, Super Tourist and Hitler among others. I used eye shadow to create a mask and used my sarong as a cape. We played some drinking games and I ended up playing the piano at the end of the night.

The next morning I went for a run down to the beach. When I got back they announced that the winner of the dress-up contest was Hilter, which was sort of bad considering it was the anniversary of Auschwitz. We then got on the bus and headed to Franz Joseph. We stopped at a Jade factory on the way where they turn the green stone found on the beaches into fine jewelry and sculptures.

Franz Joseph was absolutely stunning. It is a small town on the coast with the Southern Alps rising up behind it. The Franz Joseph Glacier is close by and attracts thousands of tourists every year. Most of the people on the Stray bus and I did the full day glacier walk. We walked through the valley and then up the steep rock pile before hitting the ice. Then we spent over five hours exploring the caves, crevices and fresh water pools that have been formed. At the end of the day Lara and I spent three hours in the hot pools across the street.

The next morning we were on the road early. After a stop at the stunning mirror lake (too bad it was cloudy and raining) we traveled through the Haast pass to get to Makarora. Half of the group went on a jet boat ride down the river (half price!) and afterwards I had the most amazing meal of lamb chops, mashed potatoes and peas all smothered in gravy. After a quick shower we all met at the pub for some drinking and karaoke.

The next morning we were on our way to Queenstown. We stopped at a town called Wanaka where they had a place called Puzzle World. Lara came with me and we had a great couple of hours going through the maze and checking all of the optical illusions. Later we stopped by the A.J. Hackett bungy site in the Kawarau gorge. Some people jumped today but others, like Lara and me, will be throwing ourselves off the bridge tomorrow morning. Wish me luck.

My friend Monia and I will be hopefully staying in Queenstown for a while. Tomorrow, after the bungy jumping, we will look for work and try to find a cheap place to rent out for the month. I think Daisy, our male driver, is going to help us look since he has lived here for 4 years. That’s it for now. The travels are going well and I really hope I can find a job here and make at least some money.