Deep South

February 8, 2010

On Monday morning Lara and I got up early to go bungy jumping. We waited at the bungy station in town for about half an hour before the bus came and took us to Karawau Bridge, a 43 meter bungy. After weigh-in, Lara went while I videoed and took some pictures. As soon as she was done I went over to get harnessed up. It goes quite quickly after they start getting the bungy rope tied to your feet and before I knew it I was standing at the edge of the platform waving to the cameras. They did a quick countdown and I jumped. Right after I jumped I remembered thinking what the hell did I just do. But by the time that thought was completed I was already slowing down and getting close to the water. I wanted to get dipped in the river but ended up about a foot short. The rest was absolutely amazing and I cannot wait to do it again.

That afternoon Monia and I walked around for a bit looking for work. I dropped off my resume at a few places but nothing sounded that promising. They are lots of opportunities to work for accommodation but it seems hard to find a job that pays for such a short period of time. That night I decided that I would get the Deep South loop done with and take a few more days to figure out my next move.

We left early the next morning and headed to Milford Sound. New Zealand is located on a fault line between two tectonic plates. As one plate slipped beneath the other, the Southern Alps were formed. Glacier movement in the area carved out deep basins that led out into the sea. Together these forces created the beauty that is Milford Sound. The deep blue water runs out into the sea amongst high cliffs dotted with stunning waterfalls. In the background the snow-capped Alps can be seen.

We did a two-hour cruise through the Sound, followed by some picture and swim stops, before heading over to Gunn’s camp for the night. The camp was nice. They even had a sense of humor about the abundant sandflies there (my legs are covered in bites). The dorms were basic and the electricity was turned off after dark. We cooked a large group meal on the grill of bangers and mash before spending some time around the fire.

The next morning we were on the bus by 6 am for the drive to Invercargill. We did a few picture stops on the way but were on the ferry by 11 am. The day was cloudy and after an hour on the boat we checked into our hotel. I was exhausted and opted for a nap. Unfortunately this made the trip to Stewart Island a bit pointless. I did go for a walk that night but the next morning I got back on the ferry and headed back to the mainland.

We then drove over to Dunedin for the night. There was a Speight’s brewery tour that some of the group went on. I went out for pizza and some drinks that night at the bar. We ended up playing pool and singing karaoke where I ended the night with a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Want to Dance With Somebody.”

The next morning we were on the road after a quick stop at the World's Steepest Street. After that the drive was fairly boring into Queenstown although we did stop to see where the Riders of Rohan sequences in the Lord of the Rings movies were taped. We also stopped at a fruit shop for real fruit ice cream. That night I met up with Monia and we went out to eat at a pizza and pasta place before wandering around for a while and since the next day was a national holiday we stocked up on alcohol. After some stargazing from the balcony we called it a night.

I slept in the next morning, which felt amazing, and after a quick stop at the grocery store had a wonderful lunch of chicken cordon blue (slightly overdone) and a huge Caesar salad complete with chicken, olives, tomatoes, pistachios, croutons, carrots, onion and cheese. After a quick stop for the internet, we had a few drinks on the beach before going to the circus that was in town.

On Sunday morning it was on the road yet again heading over to Christchurch for the night. The drive was uneventful and fairly boring with a very North Dakota feel to the landscape, flat with fields and a few trees. After getting dropped off at the hostel I had some dinner and went out for some drinks. This morning it was back to Amberley to figure out my life. Fruit picking starts in about two and a half weeks and I’m hoping to go over to the Nelson region to do that. I’ll give them a call today and see where things stand. As for now, I’m off to the supermarket to get some snacks for the Super Bowl.