DO OVERS

It is great turning 45 at 45 degrees south. You get to celebrate twice! On my Kiwi Birthday, we left Mount Cook and scooted over to Lake Ohau where I took a little single track mountain bike ride. Johnny dropped me off at the bottom of a steep road that lead to a ski field. High above the beautiful lake, I rode a very technical track, through pasture land, over steep rocky hills and through a deep rocky river. Wading through an icy river and carrying the bike up a steep hill. It was a little more than I had bargained for, but really fun none the less. Having plenty of time on our hands, we decided to re trace our steps and go back to some of our favorite places. Do-overs if you will. Wanaka was high on our list, so we headed back to get another taste. Mount Aspiring Holiday Park is by far the most deluxe place we have stayed. Two hot tubs and a sauna, sparkling clean, in a park like setting on a hillside with lake and mountain views. It was so nice we stayed two nights. On my US birthday we had dinner at Ambrosia, a fine dining restaurant by the Golf Course in Wanaka. It was a lovely meal in a beautiful setting. 45 is not so bad! Cheers! The next night we had a fun experience at the local movie theatre, which is a tourist attraction in itself. Entering a small café where Jim Morrison is playing on the stereo, you can order dinner off of the black board menu, which includes gourmet pizza and other tasty things, get your self a glass of wine or a beer, and take it with you into the movie room. Have a seat in one of many old vintage couches, chairs or even an old Morris Minor automobile. Sinking into our olive green and harvest gold chairs, we enjoyed a 2.5 hour movie and it seemed like we were only there for about 15 minutes. What a kick! Having only done a quick drive through Queenstown, (the adrenaline capital of NZ where all of the activities are extreme) we decided to give it a fair chance. Just outside of Queenstown, in a pretty river gorge, we stopped to watch a bungee jumping operation from an old suspension bridge. It was fun to watch. Some people just got up there and dove off like birds, and others could not take the step and chickened out. We goofed around in town looking at art galleries and taking in all of the adventure advertisements. Looking a little shaggy, I decided to see about a hair cut. Asking for just a trim, I got a Queenstown “extreme cut” Wash and wear is good for the camper van thing, but I sort of felt like I had been sheared. No worries it will grow back. The great thing about NZ and especially the South Island is that you can get from the east coast to the west coast over a mountain pass in just a few hours! From Queenstown we headed to the southern most part of the Island, Invercargill, and Bluff. We spent a lovely afternoon in the lovely Queens Park enjoying the sunshine, flowers, an aviary, and just relaxing. No trip to New Zealand would be complete without a trip to Stewart Island. Curious about this rare treasure with its unspoilt beauty and ecological importance, we signed up to take the one hour ferry ride across the Foveaux Straight, and spend two nights on the Island. The ride across to the straight to the Island was relatively calm, occasional large swells that rocked the boat. Our skipper, who looked like a young Elvis in his aviator sun glasses, looked very relaxed as he negotiated the large swells. The island itself was pretty, however we felt like it was more of the same things we had already seen. We took a nice 3 hour hike, rode the bike around the few roads on the Island, and had dinner in the pub, where all of the locals hang out. It was interesting to talk to the locals who live a fairly simple life on the somewhat isolated island. It seems that drinking in the pub is the main social activity . That evening, the weather became increasingly cloudy and the south west winds picked up and were gusting hard all night long. We were scheduled on the 6:00 pm ferry which had been cancelled do the weather. The 3:00 ferry was still scheduled to run back to the main land, however after talking to the passengers who had just arrived, who described the ride as “extreme” with more than half the boat using their sick bags, we promptly decided to stay another night and hope the weather improved for the crossing the next day. I guess I have earned back my reputation as Chicken of the Sea. We boarded the 8:00 a.m. ferry. With the weather improving and the tide in our favor, the skipper was not sure what the ride would be like, however he did not expect it to be too bad. By time we go to the middle of the straight we were in 9-10 foot swells. Sitting very still with my eyes glued to the horizon, I only felt more than a wee bit of motion sickness coming over me. Johnny on the other hand enjoyed the adventure. The ride was pretty intense, but we make it ashore with only one sick passenger and it was not me, thank goodness. For most of that morning I felt pretty green around the gills. Later I found out that the Foveaux Straight has the reputation of being one of the top ten roughest crossing anywhere! Check that one off my list! They say you are what you eat. If this is the case, then Johnny is beginning to resemble a wheel of Camembert Cheese, and myself a Crumbed Blue Cod. Rewind….back to the Rail Trail….. With the intension of working off some of our "spare” tires, rather than the bike tires this time. We hit the rail trail, the other direction this time and peddled quite a few kilos until the weather turned bad. Wee twig in helmet, I was loading my bike into the van after a successful ride with no magpie attacks, when out of the sky, came the bloody bugger! I am quite certain they are out to get me! Heading up the east coast to the seaside towns of Omaru and Timaru we spent most of the day checking out the interesting architecture and enjoyed a beautiful art gallery in a turn of the century home. Heading west again, we took the inland scenic route toward Arthur’s Pass. It was a beautiful drive, through a variety of landscape from semi arid planes to lush blue green river gorges, and limestone rock outcroppings. We stopped at a limestone cave deep underground with a river running through it. With a torch and some sturdy boots, you are welcome to make the hour long journey, unguided, with a few brief suggestions and the warning that you will be navigating waist deepwater in the darkness, climbing waterfalls, and may encounter an occasional eel. I think not! It was interesting to see Arthur’s pass from the east. Almost a month ago we came up the west side of the pass and there had been a snowfall the night before. It is amazing how your impression of a place can change depending on the weather. Rewind again….back to Hokatika. A beautiful seaside town on the west coast. Being the greenstone (jade) capital of N.Z., I decided to try my hand at carving a traditional Maori pendant called a tiki. They are very popular with the locals and tourists alike and I have been admiring them for some time now. After choosing a design, Gordon, carved the piece with the tools of his trade and then set me down at a table where for the next 4 hours, I sanded and sanded with 6 grades of paper, working out all of the fine tool marks until the stone was smooth. How tedious was that! It sure gave me an appreciation for the time that goes into each piece. I now have my own tiki, polished with my own hands, a Koru design symbolizing growth, life, harmony, and new beginnings.