the 12,316 ft summit and the 440 ft plummet

The most recent road trip around the South Island was, as they say in my Spanish class, muy fantastico! My jolly neighbor Jens was kind enough to miss a few classes so that we could take a four day trip to Mt. Cook, Lake Wanaka, and Queenstown. The first and most breathtaking stop was Mt. Cook. We arrived after sunset to a village consisting of a hostel, two hotels, roughly twenty homes, a school, and a restaurant. Sufficient to say, we were in the middle of nowhere (or as the Kiwi’s say “the wop-wops”). The following morning we set off on a day hike through Hooker Valley. While I would have chosen the track solely on its name, we had been advised that it was the best with two swing bridges and a stretch along a clear glacial lake. Since hiking is commonly referred to as “tramping” in New Zealand, we got a kick out of the idea that we were “tramping in Hooker Valley.” Sounds scandalous. While the hike was the farthest thing from scandalous, the scenery was the closest thing to perfection.

When we initially set out on the trail, we were unable to see Mt. Cook. We thought that was quite odd considering it is the highest point in all of Australasia. Not realizing that a cloudy day would hide the peaks of the surrounding mountains, we seized the opportunity to make a movie about the search for Mt. Cook. We drove four hours to stay in Mt. Cook village and marvel at Mt. Cook, and after 16 hours of being there, we still had not yet seen Mt. Cook. We kept walking in hopes that the enormous landmass would just appear in front of us, and to our pleasant surprise, it did. About two hours into the hike, the clouds began to part and we turned the corner on the trail and to our astonishment, there it was. While a photo can not capture the immensity of its size, it can begin to capture its beauty.

We then stopped to eat our lunch in a small cabin situated near the base of the mountain. It was very picturesque. The only window in the hut faced the mountain. I’ve attached a photo so you can grasp how stunning the view was. Not too shabby.

The remainder of the day was spent enjoying the views, taking enough pictures to fill a one gigabyte memory stick, playing in the snow, and trying to find a place to eat. Apparently the only restaurant open in the village is the bar at the Hermitage Hotel. I found the name to be an interesting choice, but there was a fire, a foosball table, comfy couches, and delicious food. After dinner it was back to the hostel to enjoy the luxuries provided. I have several books to finish reading before my New Zealand Literature final, but I found I didn’t mind the work when I was able to do it in the sauna (the first one I’ve seen in New Zealand). That was the first time I can sufficiently say I felt “warm” in the last two months. Thoughts of that sauna are what get me through the frigid nights in the uninsulated flat.

Mt. Cook was a wonderful experience and the beautiful views only continued as we made the three hour drive down to Lake Wanaka. The scenery was so gorgeous that I felt as though I should have been paying admission to the sights. We enjoyed lunch at an organic cafe entitle “Soul Food” in Wanaka and filmed some more footage along the shores of the lake.

After leaving Wanaka and continuing to Queenstown, one of the highlights of my trip occurred. We had slowly been ascending a mountain and driving through the clouds and seemingly out of nowhere we emerge to find ourselves surrounded by nothing but crisp white snow. We pull the car over, load as many clothes on as possible, and take off through the snow. We built a snowman and watched adorable children with precious accents sled down the hills as their parents socialized at the bottom. Standing at the top of this mountain surrounded by pure beauty made me feel as though I was on top of the world (this country gives me that feeling often).

After the snowman was complete we drove down to Arrowtown, an old mining community, for a brief walk around. On the way out, the local policemen were doing breathalyser checks. For the first time in my life I had to speak my name into a miniature device in a policeman’s hand. Hopefully it will be my last. The screen flashed no alcohol and Jens and I were on our way to Queenstown. When we arrived we met our friend Alan and planned for the festivities of the next day. Since Queenstown is often referred to as the adventure capitol of the world, we decided to go big. Originally, we were planning on either hang gliding or skydiving and bungy jumping. Since it was a cloudy day, we would not have been able to fully enjoy the views while jumping off cliffs or falling out of airplanes so we decided to go all out with the bungy jump. In 1988, A.J. Hackett established the first commercial bungy site in Queenstown and since then has built several more around the area. The highest of which is the Nevis. With a 440 ft (134 m) drop allowing for a full 8 seconds of free fall time, it is the third highest bungy jump in the world (Hong Kong has the highest and South Africa has the second).

It was a three hour endeavor to drive out to the jump site, get situated in a harness properly, take a gondola out to a pod suspended in the middle of a valley, and finally jump. The suspense was the hardest part of the experience. Just thinking about falling with nothing to catch me but a giant rubber band attached to my feet was enough to make my stomach do flips.

They have the jumpers go in order of heaviest to lightest so the boys were able to jump before me, thus they had more time to enjoy how relaxed they were and how nervous I was. Alan was very sympathetic and assured me that “if anything went wrong, I would just be falling to my death.” Just what every girl wants to hear. While anxiously waiting, one of the jumpers was brought back up to the pod with a wound on his finger. While trying to pull the rope to release his feet and allow him to sit upright in his harness comfortably on the ride back up, he cut his finger. Somehow it had gotten out that I was a nursing major so the workers put me in charge of bandaging his hand. Knowing I was going to jump soon, my hands were shaking like a madman’s. I’m hoping I won’t ever need to work in a situation that stressful again. Just in case I do, I will have the experience. Then it was time to jump.

They sat me in a giant dentist chair, attached the rubber band to cuffs velcroed around my ankles and then had me hop to the ledge. I hear the man behind me count to three and let go off my harness. The next thing I know, I willingly propel myself forward and swan dive towards the ground. Initially, it feels disorientating. Somehow I don’t think it is human nature to free fall for that long. About four seconds into the fall, the feeling of “wow, this is the craziest thing I’ve ever done” sets in and from there on out it is a wonderful feeling. I could feel the skin on my face being pulled back and the wind whipping past my ears and the next thing I know I am giving everyone peace signs and shouting “yipeee.” I call it Cloud Nine Syndrome because that is exactly where bungy jumping left me. I would do it again in a heartbeat. All in all, it was yet another thrilling trip with beautiful scenery and memorable experiences. I can’t wait for skydiving!

three bikes, two days, one success

I’m convinced there are two types of defeat. One is negative and feels as though there is no recovery in sight. The ego is crushed, all hope is shattered, and the overall feeling is one of “why would I subject myself to such misery?” The other is such a relief that you came out of the challenge alive, that any ending is a happy one. That is my feeling exactly towards this past weekend.

Adventurous Arley, Youthful Jens (pronounced Yenz), and I (Leave-it-to-the-last- minute Lindsay) decided to tackle the Otago Central Rail Trail. What was advertised as being suitable for the elderly and children, was the antonym of fun by the end of the day. Particularly because we have a habit not to do any extensive planning prior to trips, but rather jump in head first and see what adventures we can come out with. Well the 150 km track (93.2 miles for those who also aren’t quite able to put into perspective the metric system) consisted of a gradual uphill for the entire first day. We awoke at 5:30 a.m. to catch a bus to the start of the trail (roughly 3 hours from Dunedin) and once we hired bikes, ate lunch, and found the trail, it was half past one. Averaging about 16 km an hour with occasional stops to capture the landscape and drink water, we didn’t quite take into consideration how far our destination for the first evening was. We intended on biking approximately 90 km the first day and only completed about half of that before the sun set. The lack of daylight proved to spruce up the trip quite a bit. Conveniently, we forgot to bring torches (kiwi for flashlights) and found ourselves traveling through tunnels with no light but the persistent flash from my camera. To our great fortune, one of the tunnels was in the shape of an S. That would be the one in which I heard Arley say “I think I see something jutting out,” followed by a “Owwwww!” The pictures I had been taking to provide light with the flash later revealed a step by step sequence of Arley walking straight into the tunnel wall with her knee and then bent over trying to regain feeling in her left leg. Being such a trooper, she kept on trucking and we made it out of the tunnel without being attacked by any hungry bats.

Once clear of the tunnels, the sun really disappeared. Coincidentally, we were reaching the peak of our ride. This meant frost covered trails with only moonlight showing the way. While it was good for a laugh and a couple “I can’t believe we are still biking right now” comments, it was getting cold, the ground was getting wet and hard to pedal through, and, of course, sheep were jumping out in front of us. Did I mention it was cold? Perhaps freezing would be the better word here. Earlier that day had been quite delightful with the sun shining, perfect riding weather in my opinion. Once the sun is taken out of the equation in the fall, you don’t want to be outside. That was our only option at this point.

Cold, hungry, tired, and semi-injured, we make our way along the seemingly endless trail. Realizing there is no way we can physically make it to the town we had reservations to sleep that night, we look for the closest town and try our hardest to make it there. When we began to bike so slow that we were having difficulty keeping balance, thoughts of how we could keep warm while sleeping in the fields with sheep set in. What actually happened was much more conducive to our wellbeing.

We took a much needed break from biking and walked for a couple km. That raised the group’s morale immensely. We told stories and maybe even laughed despite our personal doubts of making it to the nearest town that night. At one point the trail crossed a road and we were considering hitchhiking. We were desperate. Sadly, no cars came by so we carried on. About 1 hour later we saw the most beautiful city lights (and when I say city lights I mean we saw a light on a barn and a pub and considered it a beautiful oasis). We were so desperate for rest, food, and warmth that we hurried our way there. When we arrived to the pub we walked in and the entire town population of about 30 people gathered there turned their heads away from the rugby game and towards the apparent American’s that had just walked in. It was slightly uncomfortable, but we were the last people to care. We were directed to a place to find a bed and there we met two kiwi guys who also go to the University of Otago. We had met then earlier that day on the bus to the start of the trail and they were approaching the ride with the same mentality as us, “Oh, we’ve got this. No problem.” We were both supposed to meet up quite a bit farther down the trail that night but our reunion happened much closer in this podonk town. They were the perfect company for the situation and we exchanged stories from the day and basked in the relief of knowing we weren’t going to be sleeping in a ditch that night.

The following morning, after one of the best sleeps I’ve ever experienced in a cottage with insulated walls (not a common occurrence in Dunedin), Jens and Nick (one of the kiwi dudes) went on to finish the rest of the trail while Arley, Dean, and I leasurely made our way to the town we had originally hoped to make it to the previous night. Jens and Nick then picked us up there later that evening. It was a wonderful day of relaxation while taking in the sites and not feeling rushed. What we thought we would accomplish in 1 day, took 2. Whoops.

Somehow the thought of sitting on a bike ever again is still painful. Needless to say, it has been quite the week to witness me walking to class. I even had to wait until I could sit down again to write this blog (a tad bit of exaggeration there, but the pain should not be underestimated). It was overall an eventful weekend that I’m happy happened, but would try to avoid doing again (which is easy with a few more days of biking time allotted). Now we have 2 more friends to show for it, tired bums, fantastic video footage, and a legitimate New Zealand adventure story.

This next weekend- bungy jumping off the original bridge and hang gliding in Queenstown. Hopefully I’ll be back soon to share more tails.

fall in dunedin

Prior to my Australian shenanigans, the weather in Dunedin was quite bearable, perhaps even bordering pleasant. In the few days before I left I was able to go surfing, take a run in shorts and a tee, wear sandals everywhere (which doesn’t say much but nonetheless), and  consider going for sunset walks through the botanical gardens. Upon returning to Dunedin, the Flatastic Four was greeted with loads of rain and the occasional pelting of sleet. The weather in Dunedin went downhill fast. Too fast. Thus, each night is spent clinging to a space heater while wearing thermals, a beanie, and gloves (when not having to type or cook) and thinking of that beach in all its glorious warmth where I relaxed only a week ago. I’ve spent a number of days bearing the Connecticut winters so I imagined New Zealand would make me feel at home, what I didn’t take into consideration was the lack of insulation in the homes here. That is one luxury that has a whole new meaning in the life of Lindsay. I say all this, not so you will take pity on my freezing self, but rather to elicit ideas on what a girl is to do when she wants to experience a country that is too cold for any more surfing, sailing, hiking, or rock climbing. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. Until then I suppose I could continue to befriend my space heater and work on essays. Back to the wonderful world of academia. 

the long awaited australia!

When I was a child I saw one of those discovery channel specials on T.V. about the Australian Outback. Since then, I have had this insane notion that I would move there, fall in love, gain the accent, and never leave. While none of the listed happened, I did have quite the memorable experience exploring the eastern coast of Australia for 10 days.

The trip began when I met Sam in Christchurch (he and the other Clemsonites had been traveling around New Zealand the week prior) and we flew to Brisbane where we were greeted by my always cheerful friend Savannah! We took the train down to Gold Coast where she spent the semester at Bond University and there I surprised a good friend from rowing named Jess. I’ve found surprise reunions are always filled with excitement and happiness, but when they are halfway across the world, the smiles become exponentially larger. The following day was spent in Surfer’s Paradise where they were holding a surf competition (naturally) and I experienced the Portuguese fast-food chain Oporto. If you are ever in Australia, be sure to enjoy a quality chicken burger here (for cheaper than McDonald’s). The mind blowing discovery of the day, however, was learning that shopping trolleys can go both forwards and sideways for easy maneuvering in aisles. Why we don’t have this luxury in the States beats me. That is a marketing idea that could make millions and decrease the need for announcements asking for “cleanup on aisle 4.”

After exploring the city of Brisbane via rush hour traffic and the area south of there, Sam and I were off to Townsville to meet up with some more friends. There we took the ferry to Magnetic Island and snorkeled with lethal jellyfish. There was also copias amounts of tropical fish and beautiful coral, but I was in survival mode and was watching for the jellyfish instead. A lesson that is quickly learned is that Australia is filled with poisonous creatures who love tourists. Fortunately, I was able to avoid any unwanted interactions. Hallelujah.

Once we completed the all you can eat pancake challenge, the five of us (with heaps of luggage) squeezed into a tiny car and made the 4 hour drive to Cairns. If we had gotten stopped by a police officer, I’m sure he would have let us go out of utter sympathy for how packed we were in that car. Needless to say, I got to know my friends much better. We were all thankful for the shower that greeted us at our hostel in Cairns. We stayed at The Northern Greenhouse where there was a fridge in the room, internet was free, the blankets were soft, breakfast was provided, and there were comfy couches under palm trees. By far the most luxurious hostel I’ve stayed at. That’s when vacation mode set in. The next two days were spent on a cruise boat on the Great Barrier Reef. Clear water, warm weather, diverse wildlife, good friends, and real food (after one too many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we were in need of some substance) were just the remedy to relaxation. The night dive with sharks and groupers reversed all that comfort, but made for a memorable time.

Whitewater rafting on the Tully River was our next stop. On the two hour bus ride to the start of the rapids, we were entertained by a guide whose humor was not far from my father’s. I felt like I was home again. The jokes only continued for the five of us because the man ended up being our very own rafting guide. There is nothing like spending a day getting tossed out of a boat in Australia with Dane Cook right behind you. There was a comment for everything.

The next day consisted of meeting up with the Flatastic Four and Arley (who had been exploring Cairns as well) and making our way down to Sydney. I’ve clearly never lived in a big city, for it I had, I would have known to pick an arrival time before or after rush hour. The taxi charged 5 cents for every 3 seconds and in stopped traffic, that adds up fast. As a result, our next meal was very cheap. On a side note, I would like to say that being a college student, traveling without parents, and having no set income makes one very conscious about how expensive traveling can be. I’m very thankful for the opportunity (but also aware of how much I will be working when I return home). To our great fortune, the next day was Anzac Day (Australia and New Zealand Army Corp Day). Thus there were soldiers and sailors everywhere. Pubs were packed at noon and there was even a parade at 5 in the morning. The Olympic torch had just been carried through the city and the MTV music awards were being filled there. Thus, the town was hopping. As were we. We explored both Darling and Sydney Harbors and shopped at Paddy’s Market, collected souvenirs and became immensely sketched out when some Thai males asked to have their picture taken with us…multiple times. In my life there are many awkward moments and standing there with the other girls and a random foreign male in front of us takes the cake. We didn’t let that ruin our Opera House experience and we had a blast exploring the famous structure inspired by orange slices and turtle shells (random tidbit of information). The bathrooms there are the coolest I’ve ever seen.

Later that night I took the train up to Newcastle to see the school where I almost studied for the semester. The town has a completely different dynamic from Dunedin. Primarily, it is much warmer so laying out on the beach, surfing, and swimming in the saltwater baths is a reality in April (when I returned to Dunedin, it was sleeting). Sam gave me the ultimate tour of the city including a stop at the Blackbutt Wildlife Reserve. There I was able to see kangaroos and koalas! They were adorable and quite entertaining which is probably why I had a hard time enjoying the kangaroo steaks Sam prepared for dinner. While everyone else was loving their steaks and “kangarittos,” I was remembering the cuddly animal I had seen hopping around earlier that day and didn’t have the same luck. One bite was all I needed. After lounging on the beach and playing frisbee for a few hours the following day, it was back to Uni in New Zealand and all the glorious work it entails.

All in all, I had a memorable 10 days. From surprise visits to swimming with the sharks, dance parties to runs along tropical coastlines, Australia proved to be everything I had made it out to be in my crazy childhood fantasies.

happy birthday pops!

Today marks a very special day in the life of Steve Hook. Not only is he one glorious year younger, but he is even better looking than ever. If you get the chance, call and congratulate him on so many successful years of good jokes and wonderful parenting. 

I love you Dad!

one shark, two shark, three shark, four

Today, I got head butted by a fish. Not just any fish, a monster fish. About as long as my arm and as round as a beach ball. This was only one of the many experiences that SCUBA diving the Great Barrier Reef offered. For those of you I haven’t been able to contact recently, I am currently on a 10 day excursion in Australia. I am traveling this lovely country with the wonderful company of Sam, Brittany, Luke, and Devin (they are friends from home studying abroad in Newcastle, Australia this semester). The past two days were spent on a boat off the coast of Cairns and the majority of that time we were 60 feet under water looking at the most beautiful marine life this world has to offer. I recently became certified so I experienced my very first night dive. Apparently, that is when the sharks really show themselves. At one point during the dive, I looked up and across the moonlight swam a shark large enough to enjoy me as a snack (or so it looked to me). My first thought was the movie Jaws, immediately followed by ways to slow my breathing and avoid hitting the coral reef in the dark water. Luckily, I am writing this blog entry so you know the outcome was in my favor.

Along with terrifying sharks, massive starfish, sea cucumbers, colorful fish, sting rays, and turtles were all spotted and within two feet of me at times. I stepped way out of my comfort zone in the depths of the Pacific. Luckily, I had delightful company and we stuck together and made it out alive and untouched (except for the friendly fish that wanted to give me a run for my money). I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Tomorrow is white water rafting and then meeting up with the other members of the Flatastic Four, as well as our friend Arley, and heading down to Sydney. I’m not sure if anything can match diving the Great Barrier Reef, but I have no doubt more adventures will be coming your way.

As the Aussie’s say “I’m ten foot tall and bullet proof.” Or as Luke says, “The world is your potato.” Or as I say, “Life is really good.”

I’m really loving it here!

“i’ve a feeling we’re not in kansas anymore”

I made a list of a few everyday differences that remind me I’m not in the States anymore. I’ll keep adding more as I come across them.

•  Zed- the letter z

• Period- full stop  i.e.-”End of discussion full stop”

• “Goodday”= Hello

• “Cheers”= Thanks!

• “Rubbish”= Trash

• “Heaps”= Tons

• “Wee”= Little

• “It won’t be a moment”- Hang on

• “The likes of”= Similar to

• “Give Way”= Yield

• The toilets having two options for flushing (1/2 flush and full flush)

• The taste of milk and ice cream

• Walking on the left hand side of the sidewalk

• Looking to the right and then the left before crossing the street

• Restaurants aren’t frequently open on Sundays, but shopping centers are!

• You must have a certain type of rubbish bag if it is to be picked up by the town

• No insulation in homes

• Neighbors riding down the hill next to our flat on random objects with wheels

• The University offering beer as a reward (oddly, freshman are old enough to drink)

• Seeing a pub on campus

• Four seasons in one day

• The spoons are either teaspoons or serving spoons (sure makes it hard to eat cereal)

• Can openers cost $17.00
• The extra “u” tossed in words such as colour and favourite and replacing “z” with “s” in realise and organise

cruising milford sound

Sorry again for disappearing from this blog. Classes here are not as easy as I was hoping. Thus, more time is spent in books than online. To put the work into perspective, I have to finish writing six papers by Monday. Procrastination and I are close friends. Anyways, back to the tales.

Four weekends ago, my Italian friend Matteo and my German friend Nadine joined Bunky and I on the car’s first long distance road trip. We drove across the South Island to the west coast to see the epic Milford Sound. Six hours and not one problem with Bunky, I was relieved. The best investment of all was a tape adapter for the iPod so that we could listen to whatever tunes we liked. There is nothing quite like driving through New Zealand farmland singing “American Pie” with two Europeans. We drove through the brown trout capital of the world and pulled over for a picnic when we realized we forgot the cooker. Rather than the pasta we were intending on having, we enjoyed apples and peanut butter (the others were slightly apprehensive because peanut butter is not commonly sold in their respective countries). We made the best of the meal and carried on rocking out to Queen and the soundtrack to Hairspray the Musical.

The sound itself was overwhelming. From peaceful water emerge massive mountains with waterfalls 3 times the size of Niagara Falls. After we lost Matteo and eventually found him again, we spent the afternoon on a boat cruising around the sound and had the luxury of viewing seals sunbathing and being sprayed at the base of one of the enormous waterfalls. The pictures hopefully speak for themselves. Once we were back on dry land, we explored the sites around the sound which were equally impressive. There has yet to be a single day where I haven’t been in awe of some aspect of this country. I thought I would have become accustomed to the beauty, but fortunately it is too much to get used to. I really am in love.

Stay tuned for the adventures of backpacking in Abel Tasman (my favorite adventure yet). I’ll do my best to blog soon.

I hope all is well in the States. While it is a blast here, I still think of everyone back home often. I also want to know if anyone has bought their plane tickets yet. I’m waiting for some visitors : ).

the girls are back in town

More photos are up!

Well the last two weeks have been filled with a plethora of adventures and there are many stories to tell. From day trips around Dunedin to cruising Milford Sound to St. Patty’s Day New Zealand style to my unforgettable 20th birthday to backpacking in Abel Tasman National Park, it has been a hectic two weeks. Sorry for the lack of blog entries. I am finally back at the flat and all that is about to change.

Before I begin with the tales from the land of the long white cloud, I want to thank everyone for their suggestions for car names. They were quite creative and after much debate we have decided to call the blue beauty “Bunky.” Long story short, Sallie was reading aloud a portion of her English paper and slurred together clunky and bulky making bunky, our new favorite word. The car fit both those characteristics and she was thereby dubbed “Bunky.” Thus, you are all winners for making suggestions and will receive the finest souvenirs New Zealand has to offer.

With the change of ownership papers complete, it was time to see what sort of shenanigans this car could get us into. First trip-going surfing. Well not exactly. I picked up a few friends and we went down to St. Claire’s Beach where the waves have been known to draw the surfing crowds. Since the wind was fierce and the waves were choppy, we decided the best alternative was to go eat hokey pokey ice cream instead (what’s in the delicious ice cream, I may never know). I was told that up the road from our flat was an extremely old cemetery, so we decided to check it out. What was intended to be a beach day ended in roaming a cemetery in bathing suites with ice cream cones and attempting to reassemble crumbled tombstones. Never would I have guessed that Bunky and the gang would end up there, but it sure was fun. I have some ideas of what I want my tombstone to say. They get clever with their epitaphs here in New Zealand. After the cemetery, it was on to practice for the ultimate frisbee club. My friend Brian and I were the only non-kiwis so we did our best to represent the States well. It was incredible and a great way to meet locals. I’m pumped for the next game.

Next stop…Milford Sound!

(But first I am going to get some sleep. I hear it is essential to quality blogging)

absolute bliss

WOW!

That is the only word I can use to describe my 20th birthday in New Zealand. It was spectacular. I will go into greater depth later as we are on our way out the door to explore the wilds of New Zealand for six days. But I will return and write again soon!

Thanks for making it a great birthday everyone!

www.lindsayturns20.info

I have the greatest family and friends : )