Attempting to Leave Christchurch

On the morning of our flight, there was a slight dusting of snow.  Nothing serious enough to stay on the ground.  I made a comment to Andrew that I hoped this wouldn’t affect our flight.  He told me not to worry as our flight wasn’t for another 14 hours.  We dropped off the car as scheduled and settled in for our long wait.  The airport isn’t very big and you only get 30 minutes of free wi-fi so we had to entertain ourselves with our books and the 3 or 4 restaurants we could eat at, and the 1 newsstand.   Late in the afternoon we noticed it had started snowing but we weren’t really concerned as all the flights were taking off as per schedule so there was no reason for ours to be delayed.  By 11pm the snow coming down looked serious but we had already checked in at that point and were already waiting to board the plane.  We boarded the plane as per schedule and waited to take off.  And waited.  And waited some more.  Out the window the snow was a full snow storm and I was anxious to see the de-icing machines as the wings were completely covered in snow.  Again Andrew told me not to worry.  Around 30 minutes after we were supposed to have taken off the captain announced they were waiting for a decision on whether or not our plane needed to be de-iced.  We could see people walking around and inspecting the wings.  We saw 2 other planes leave so we didn’t have any cause for concern.  An hour later, the captain came on again and announced we would be getting de-iced but the airport had to remove the snow from the runways and they were waiting for the snow removal machines to arrive in approx 30 minutes and then it would take another hour to clear off the snow.  That meant we would be taking off at 3am.  3 hours later than planned.  Everyone groaned but there was nothing we could do but sit and wait.  I felt bad for a mother who was sitting 2 rows up with a 1 year old boy.  He was not happy just sitting there and was fussy as any 1 year old would be at 1:30 in the morning.  She was obviously trying to get him to fall asleep but with the captain coming on the speaker every so often her efforts were in vain.    Finally around 2:30am she got him to fall asleep.  I had fallen asleep myself on Andrew’s lap as we had an empty seat beside us and one of us could recline.  At 3am the captain came on to tell us the flight has been cancelled due to bad weather (no kidding…the snow was piling up outside) and we had to de-board the aircraft.  They would provide us with more info shortly.  That’s when I felt really bad for the mom with the kid.  She had just gotten him to fall asleep and now she had to wake him up again.  She just looked deflated.

After we de-boarded Andrew and I went to lie down on a couple of sofas we found but half an hour later an announcement came on that our plane was delayed until 12pm the following day and we had to go through immigration again.  Those who lived in Christchurch were urged to go back home and come back again.  Those of us who didn’t, we would be spending a night at the airport.  Unfortunately they didn’t have any blankets to provide to us.  By the time we went through immigration, picked up our luggage and found a place to sit, it was 4:30am.  We got around an hour of sleep as it was freezing (the temperature was turned down at the airport overnight) and it wasn’t very comfortable sleeping in a sitting position.  We figured we would get sleep on the plane.  But we started getting worried in the morning when the snow was still falling and flights all around us were getting cancelled.  At noon we were told our flight was delayed to 5pm.  At 5pm we were told our flight was delayed until the following day.  During this whole time, we weren’t offered any food vouchers or any kind of good will gesture.  We were told we could not be given any accommodation as due to the earthquake and all the flight cancellations they had over the past couple of days, there was a shortage of hotel rooms in Christchurch.

Needless to say people were frustrated.  I found out from someone they were giving our blankets in another part of the airport and I ran to get them as I knew they would be gone quickly.  I grabbed 4 just in case and they came in very handy during the night.  A lady who was on our flight and was sitting beside us had gotten the blankets earlier and some extra pillows so she shared with us.  We found a shower in the handicapped bathroom so in the evening, when the airport was shut down to everyone but us, we made use of it.  That night I had gathered up some stools to make a bed for myself while Andrew slept on the seat of one of the booth chairs.  We were woken up, quite rudely, by airport staff at 4am and told we had to get up as the airport was now open and operating.  The cleaning lady was furious as everyone had made up some kind of makeshift bed during the night from chairs, stools and anything else they could find, and she walked around telling anyone who would listen it would take her all day to get it back to the way it was.  At this point I had no sympathy to share as Andrew and I would be spending a total of 50 hours in the airport and I didn’t know what she thought the options were for the people who were stuck there.

In the morning the sun was shining and we were all excited as it would melt the snow.  But we were worried again as all the morning flights were cancelled again.  The sun just wasn’t working fast enough to melt the ice.  Overall the amount of snow that fell wasn’t more than 2-3cm, and we knew in Toronto the airport wouldn’t even consider cancelling any flights for this small amount of snow, but apparently Christchurch is not ready for any kind of snow.   Andrew talked to a couple of police officers and they told him they never get snow so I guess it’s understandable they don’t have the proper equipment to clear it.  It was still frustrating for us though.  Luckily, our flight was at 12pm so the sun did its job and melted the snow on the runways and we were finally able to take off.  Everyone clapped and cheered as soon as the tires left the ground.

Christchurch

On the way to Christchurch from Mount Cook we stopped at Lake Tekapo and took some photos of the church that’s very iconic to New Zealand.  We arrived in Christchurch late in the afternoon and started looking for a place to stay.  This is easier said than done as the whole city centre is closed off since the earthquake in February and it’s very hard navigating the city now.  The maps we had were all “pre-earthquake” so anytime we would turn down a street we had no idea if it would be blocked off or not (which in most cases it was blocked off) and to add to the confusion, Christchurch has, like a lot of cities, a system of one way streets.  We finally had to stop and call the hostel we were planning on staying at and ask what the best way to reach them was.

After check-in we went grocery shopping and made some dinner.  By that time it was too late to go and explore the city and the night life is really non-existent since the earthquake as well.  Not that we were feeling up to it anyway.  We had spent a good portion of the night prior battling Andrew’s insomnia.  Insomnia on its own is annoying but combined with a squeaky bunk bed in a dorm room can drive a person insane.  I’m usually very supportive of Andrew and his trouble with sleep, but that night I was ready to scream at the top of my lungs, I was so frustrated.  And if it wasn’t for other people sleeping in the room, I probably would have yelled at him.  The squeaking of the bed every time he tossed and turned drove me to the brink of insanity.  I finally asked him to switch beds with me, as I thought mine might squeak less, and it actually worked!  I think it was 2am by the time we had finally gone to sleep.  So when we arrived in Christchurch we just wanted a quite place to sleep.

After dinner we did some laundry and watched some shows on our laptop.  We woke up at 5:39am to find our bed and, really, our whole world shaking.  We were experiencing an earthquake!  It was a very surreal feeling.  You hear about it on the news and what it will feel like, but experiencing it is completely different.  I felt like it was absolute silence around us and all you could hear was this kind of whirring sound.  Kind of like a vibrating bed (not that I know too much about that J).  Andrew says he could hear the water splashing in the water bottles on our night stand.  It only lasted 10 – 20 seconds.  The weird thing is I wasn’t even scared and went right back to sleep once it stopped.  Tara called first thing in the morning and told us it was a 5.1 earthquake.  We had just talked the night before and she said all we had left to experience in NZ was an earthquake in Christchurch so it seems we have now experienced everything extreme NZ has to offer.

The next day we woke up quite late and had breakfast at noon.  We then went to find a post office and to buy an external hard drive.  Tara is flying to Canada in August and she’s going to take some things back for us since sending a 5kg package from NZ to Canada costs over $230!  And sending a 5kg package from Christchurch to Auckland costs $7.  I was worried she wouldn’t have room to take it with her but she’s taking two almost empty suitcases with her so she can fill them up with stuff from Canada. Her and I have had a few conversations about things you can’t get here, or you can but at an incredible price.  I don’t blame her for stocking up when she goes back.  One of the things we were sending was the hard drive with a backup of all our pictures to date.  We were worried that something might happen to our laptop and we’d lose them all.  So even though it wasn’t really in our budget we bought the hard drive, backed up our laptop and shipped it to her.

That night we drove around the city and witnessed a huge blazing fire.  It was in the closed off part of the city but it was near where the fence was so we could see it quite clearly.  Not sure how the fire started since it was an abandoned building, but we’re speculating it was probably set on fire to claim the insurance money.  Our clothes ended up smelling like smoke for the rest of the day.  We also went to see where our rental car needed to be dropped off and where the airport is.  And then again back to the hostel to eat dinner and watch some TV.  Really, in between all the scary and extreme stuff, we led quite a boring life in NZ.

The following day we decided to walk the perimeter of the closed off section of the city.  Driving around you get a sense of the damage as a lot of the buildings, even outside of the “red zone”, are condemned and ruined, but walking around you just get a feeling of doom.  It’s similar to being in an end of the world movie.  The streets are completely abandoned.  You do not see one single person and the buildings are standing completely empty, with lifeless cars or machinery out front.  In February, we had watched the results of the earthquake on TV in Sydney, along with the rest of the world, and you get a sense of what it must be like, but once you’re there, it’s a completely different experience.  It’s not 1 building that’s collapsed or 1 block that has been blocked off, it’s the whole downtown area.  I don’t know this for sure, but I think it’s unprecedented for a whole city centre to be shut down indefinitely.  Think what that does to the economy.  The businesses are not operating so they’re not making any money, and therefore they are not paying any taxes.  So not only is the city not obtaining any taxes, they also have to pay for the teardown, cleanup and rebuilding of the city.  And it’s not just 1 or 2 buildings that need to be demolished, it’s dozens.  The scale of this operation is unimaginable.  There is a couple of high-rise building, and one especially, that is heavily slanted and will have to come down.   On the perimeter, posted to the fence, are flowers and notes from loved ones to the ones who have died.  It’s really easy to think of the earthquake and think of the people who died as just a number, but when you see a note from someone whose sister has died, saying she really misses her, it helps you to associate that with a real person.  These people were mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles.  They left home that day and never returned.  They died in the rubble that is now Christchurch.  It was emotional walking around.  And surreal at the same time.  It didn’t feel real.  Real cities are not empty.  They are full of people and full of life.  They are full of traffic jams and people fighting for parking spots.  There is none of that here.  And most likely, for another 5 or so years.

I had a hard time wrapping my head around it all.  How do you not lose hope?  How do you continue? Where do you get your strength?  When I was looking at it all, taking it all in, I have to admit it feels a bit hopeless to me.  Why bother rebuilding?  What’s the point?  There will be another earthquake.  Christchurch lies on a fault line so it’s guaranteed.  Why invest all that energy into rebuilding it?  It’s almost like a bad relationship.  You invest all that time and energy with the hope it will work out but you know it never will.  You just don’t know when the next shakeup will be.  But the people of Christchurch have not given up hope.  Yes, there are those who have left the city because they are fed up.  But there are also those who believe, who have to believe, the city will once again be rebuilt.  They are not losing hope.  And I think we need more people like that in the world.  Because if it was all cynical people like me, where would we be?

That night we packed our bags and got everything ready for our flight the next day.  We were leaving a lot of stuff behind at the hostel for other people to use if they wanted.  We knew we wouldn’t need our sleeping bags anymore, or our gloves and hats.  Maybe others could use them.   We were getting excited about going to Indonesia.  I was looking forward to the heat and getting back to a country where we could finally afford to start doing things.  And I was looking forward to the beach.  I was a little apprehensive about the craziness that is Asia but I knew I would adjust soon enough.  The pros outweigh the cons by a long shot.

We had to wake up early the next day and get ready for our flight to Indonesia.  We had to drop off our car at 10:30am.  Unfortunately our flight was not until midnight so we would have a lot of time to waste at the airport.  And then a 16 hour journey, before we would finally land in Bali.

Mount Cook

We arrived at Mount Cook that evening and just chilled out in front of the TV. Unusually, Andrew was extremely cold. He sat under the heater and in front of the fireplace with a hat on and he was still freezing. Usually that’s me, but this time I was so hot and I just couldn’t understand why he was so cold. That night I couldn’t get to sleep because I kept thinking about the bungy jump that wasn’t. I was toying with the idea to go back there the next day and attempt it again but decided to sleep on it before making any decisions. The next morning when I woke up I was fine with the fact that I didn’t jump. It’s just not something I need to do. At least not right now. I was never keen with the idea but got so wrapped up in the hype and the excitement of it that I really wanted to do it. And I still want to do it but I also know that I can’t do it and I don’t want to waste the money to try.

I thought Andrew might be getting sick but the next morning, although he wasn’t sick, his stomach was hurting him. It is so unusual for Andrew to get sick that I was a little concerned but we couldn’t pin point what it was. We had both eaten the same thing and I was fine, and he obviously wasn’t sick (as in having a cold sick), which lead us down the path of “was it the bungy jump?”, but then we remembered he had drank some water from the water bottle we had filled up at the gross hostel in Queensland. I didn’t drink any of that water and I was feeling fine so we concluded it must be that. He didn’t eat anything all day and only ate instant noodles (very healthy choice) at 6pm.

The plan was for us to do a hike that day but since Andrew was still not feeling well, we decided to stay in. We watched some shows we have on our laptop, read and napped throughout the day. I was also finally able to catch up on the blog! Mount Cook (the village) does not have a grocery store so we were very limited in what we could eat. We finished off all the instant noodles we had, and I had eggs with toast for dinner, which pretty much finished off all the food we had. We were staying at the YHA, and it was very weird for me to see 3 families (kids and all) staying there. A hostel is not a very child friendly environment as the shows on TV are not children appropriate (remember, it’s a bunch of 18-35 year olds staying there) and there isn’t really anything for them to do. The parents at least kept them occupied so they didn’t intrude too much but I don’t think the hostel staff were thrilled to have them. When they were checking in I heard them saying, “you want to stay here with kids?” The rest of the night we spent in front of the TV.

We have learned, although there is a lot to do in NZ, it’s a lot of water and summer activities which limits what we can do now, in the winter. In addition, the things we can do are very expensive so we have to pick and chose what we do, which leaves us in front of the TV quite often. Being in an expensive country and having a limited budget makes it very difficult to stay positive and motivated to continue traveling. Ultimately we’re always asking ourselves, what’s the point of traveling if we can’t afford to participate in anything? That’s why we’re really looking forward to Indonesia (we leave in 4 days! July 25!) where our budget will go a lot further. We love NZ but I think we both know we haven’t experienced it to its fullest potential. If we come back to NZ again, it will definitely be during the NZ summer.

Bungy Jumping

Our plan was to get to Mount Cook the next day, but before we could leave the Queenstown area we had to complete a bungy jump first. We arrived at A.J. Hackett, were weighed in and paid for our jumps. They said they would call us in a few minutes as the operators were taking a break. At the same time a “Kiwi Experience” bus arrived and with it a whole bunch of people. The jump is a first come first serve basis so when the operators were done their break there was a bit of a lineup of jumpers. Andrew and I decided I would go first so he could take pictures and he would go once I was done. We walked out onto the bridge but I had to wait a good 20 minutes for all the other jumpers to go before it was my turn. It was a lot colder that day than it had been up until this point so I was shivering by the time it was my turn. Andrew was fluttering around between me and the waiting deck, and I’m not sure if he was just nervous for his own jump or he was looking for the best angle for pictures. Either way, when it was my turn to get harnessed up, he was nowhere to be seen and I went into the “jumpers only” area without seeing him. Once you’re harnessed up, they sit you down and wrap a towel around your ankles followed by a rope. I guess the towel is there so the rope doesn’t cut into your ankles. I was so nervous I couldn’t think straight. The guy was talking to me trying to distract me but the music is so loud in that area and I was so nervous that I couldn’t hear anything he was saying. I kept looking at the observation deck but I couldn’t see Andrew. I felt like I was drunk with fear. I couldn’t see or think straight. The operator than hooked up the bungy cord to my feet and I was surprised by how heavy it was. I felt like it was going to pull me down, which was ridiculous because the whole point of me was to jump off the bridge anyway. As soon as I stood up I could feel the weight of the rope and I inched towards the ledge, which was very awkward as my feet were tied together. I shuffled my feet forward a couple of times, stopped and said I can’t. The operator said, “that’s okay, we’re not jumping yet”, but I lost it, started crying and started shaking my head no and started shuffling back. I had such fear I felt like I was going to throw up. The operator guy told me to relax but I said no and sat back down. He kept asking if I was sure and that’s he didn’t like seeing people back out of it and that everyone who had been terrified but did it anyway loved it afterwards. He told me to go have a cup of coffee and see if I wanted to try again. Then he reminded me that I wouldn’t get my money back. I could not get out of there fast enough and was openly sobbing at that point. I wasn’t scared, I was terrified. But I was also so disappointed with myself. I really thought I could do it and I didn’t expect myself to react this way but I could not stop crying. I walked down the bridge and finally saw Andrew and just started crying in his arms. He told me it was okay and that I didn’t have to jump if I didn’t want to. I was so glad he wasn’t trying to talk me into it. I was hysterical and couldn’t stop crying. I was so angry with myself that I couldn’t do it! I still had an opportunity to jump, but I knew I couldn’t do it. There was no way I was going to go up there again and try. Watching other people made me want to throw up. Any excitement I saw in it before was gone.

Andrew then went to the bridge for his jump. As I expected, as he was getting harnessed up and tied in he was laughing the whole time. I know he was nervous but it was a different kind of nervous for him. I was terrified where he was excited. I watched him walk right up to the ledge and the operator had to hold him from jumping right away. They first take a picture with their cameras. They then counted him down, 5-4-3-2-1! And I saw him jump up and dive into the air. There was a “whooo hooo” scream that came out of him. It all lasted less than 10 seconds but for me it was forever. He was lowered into the dingy waiting at the bottom in the river and all I could see was a huge smile and he looked up and gave a huge thumbs up! I was trying to be happy for him but I was so disappointed with myself I had to force myself to smile. He had to walk back up to the top and while he was walking I had to tell myself, be happy for him. This is something he really wanted to do, stop feeling sorry for yourself and be happy for him. Which I was, so I was surprised when he finally made it to the top, to see that he wasn’t as excited as I expected him to be. I expected him to be high on adrenaline but when I asked him how he felt, he shrugged and said “good”. Later I found out he expected it to be more of a rush. He feels the rush doesn’t last long enough and just when you’re getting that rush, it stops. Apparently jumping off a bridge is not enough of a rush for him.

The only consolation I had for myself was that I now knew the answer to the proverbial question: “If everyone was jumping off the bridge, would you?” I know now the answer to that question is no!

We left AJ Hackett after purchasing the photos and video of Andrew jumping so we can have this moment on camera forever.

Milford Sound

We headed towards Te Anau that evening but since we were quite tired we stopped at a town halfway there where we found cheap accommodation. The next day we arrived at Te Anau and found out the road to Milford Sound had been opened but you still needed to carry chains with you. The information office showed us some pictures of the roads and we opted to book a bus for the trip there, since we weren’t sure our car could handle all that snow. We booked a bus and ferry for the next day. That night we spent the night at Bob & Maxine’s hostel. They are a great older couple that had built a building just for the backpackers but it really feels like a large cottage with stunning views of the mountains from the common room. We had paid for a dorm room but were lucky enough to have the room to ourselves that night. The bus we were taking to Milford left at 10am and the 2 hour ride was accompanied by commentary provided by the driver. It was really nice to be on a bus again and just relax. For the past 6 months we had been the ones driving and we really missed just sitting back and relaxing, reading or sleeping.

Part of the bus journey is some stops along the way but the snow hadn’t been cleared off in the parking lots along the way so we couldn’t stop, which resulted in us arriving early at the ferry terminal. The drive to Milford Sound is stunning and it feels like you’re in a different world looking at the snow capped mountains. But there wasn’t that much snow. The crews had done a great job of clearing the snow from the roads, but there wasn’t that much snow on the sides of the road either. We really couldn’t see why the road had been closed for almost 2 weeks! The amount of snow that fell there wouldn’t even be considered a significant snow fall in Canada. Another Gold Coast Syndrome.

We boarded the ferry just after 1pm (even though I vowed I wouldn’t get on another boat again) and we couldn’t wait for the buffet lunch that was included in the price of the ticket. We were starving! We were lucky as the weather that day was amazing with the sun shining. Apparently this area gets an average rainfall of 8 meters a year and it has topped out at 10 meters one year. The cruise is along an outlet into the Tasman sea and you’re cruising among gigantic fiords. Even though the weather was nice it was still quite cold. Too cold to spend too much time outside so I was content sitting inside and looking out the window. I was excited to see a couple of seals, one in the water and one on the rocks! On the way back we saw another seal on the rocks and the boat came right up to it so we were able to get some pics. The drive back was pretty uneventful except for a herd of sheep that was on the road. There was at least a thousand of them. They were so cute. The farmer was herding them over to another field with the help of his dogs. It caused quite a stir on the bus. Other than that we spent the trip back napping on the bus and it was great.

Queenstown

We left Franz Joseph and were heading towards Queenstown but first we had to pass through the Hass Pass. This road goes through the mountains and some high altitude terrain and is prone to snow falls. Most of the way it was clear but as we climbed higher the snow started collecting on the ground. Rain had turned into snow. The tires on our car are not very good and it became slippery very quickly. We pulled over to put our chains on and joined a family of 3 who were trying to put the chains on their camper van. Neither Andrew nor I had even put snow chains on so it was interesting trying to do it for the first time in the cold. I was instructed to document this with Andrew’s camera. I could see the family was having a hard time putting their chains on so once Andrew was done with our chains, I asked him to help them, which he did. As soon as they were done with the first tire, a guy drove up in his pickup truck from the opposite direction and told us once we passed the hill, the rest of the way was clear so chains weren’t really needed. So the family opted not to put the chains on the second car and we left. The guy in the pickup was right. As soon as we had passed the hill the road cleared and we had to pull over and take our chains off. It wasn’t that bad on the roads and we coined a new term, “The Gold Coast Syndrome”. It was based on the warnings of free-camping in the Gold Coast and the fines associated with that, only to find out it was all hyped up. The Gold Coast Syndrome is wide spread throughout Australia and NZ.

We arrived in Queenstown late in the afternoon after stopping in Wanaka, which turned out to have very expensive accommodations. We booked 2 nights at a hostel in Queenstown, but quickly found out the standards weren’t very high. We saw people wiping the floor with the tea towels in the kitchen and then hanging them back up. Andrew was completely disgusted by this and we started pre-washing and not drying everything we used. We refused to use the tea towels. Also, the fans in the bathrooms did not work so the condensation from the shower would collect at the top of the ceiling and if you went to use the toilet the drops of water would drip on your head. It was gross. It was a good price however so we decided to put up with it. We really liked Queenstown as it’s a medium sized town but it has a very cool vibe with a lot of skiers in the area. It’s definitely a vacation town. That night we went out for a few beers and we really enjoyed the $3 beers before 9pm.

The next day Andrew did some research on the ski conditions as well as the cost of renting ski clothes and equipment while I caught up on the blog. Then we went for a Fergburger, for which we had to wait an hour for! Fergburger is a very popular gourmet burger place. The burgers are homemade and huge. A very good deal for just $10 each and we were quite full after each eating one. We didn’t even need fries! Andrew went to an internet café while I went to get a haircut. It has been a year since I cut my hair and it needed a trim very badly. The cut and blow-dry cost me $65 but it was a necessity.

One of the trips we wanted to do was go to Milford Sound from Queenstown, but it was a 4 hour drive there. The town of Te Anau was in between so our plan was to stop there, but we found out the area had received a lot of snow in the past couple of days and the highway between Te Anau and Milford Sound was closed, but they were expecting to open it any day.

The next day we decided to drive to Te Anau, a 2 hour drive, in hopes the highway would open the next morning. We had a phone number to call to learn about road conditions but it’s updated every 3 hours and they don’t receive definitive information about when the road will open up. Te Anau is a very small town and there really isn’t much to do there. We decided to stay at another “park” (similar to what we stayed in for the Tongariero Crossing) but this one had a really good common area and the room was heated fairly well. Unfortunately the bathrooms and shower areas are not heated. I again spent the time writing the blog while we watched TV. Unfortunately the road to Milford Sound did not open the next morning so we decided to head back to Queenstown.

We decided to stay at the same hostel again since the price was good, but this time we stayed in “The Shed” outback as it was much quieter. We didn’t get a lot of sleep the 2 nights we had already spent there due to the coming and going of others. This was literally a garden shed converted into a room with no insulation, but it had a pretty good heater which had to be on the whole time in order to keep it warm. The lack of efficiency is extremely frustrating! This applies to everywhere we had stayed up until this point. In order to keep the hostels warm, the heaters have to be on the whole time because otherwise the heat just escapes.

The plan was to go skiing the next day but we slept in and spent the day checking out the ski hills in the area and visiting the A.J. Hackett bungy jumping center. We had been talking about bungy jumping in Queensland as it was the place it was started. It was very interesting the people jumping from the bridge and as I was looking at them I though, I could do this. It didn’t seem that bad and I said “Let’s do it. Let’s go now”. But Andrew started saying “The lighting for pictures is not that good, it’s very gray outside, let’s do it another day when the light is better”. I told him let’s do it now because I may chicken out but he was confident I wouldn’t so we left. We went and picked up the ski rental equipment and clothes we would use for skiing the next day.

We started our evening by pre-drinking my wine before heading to the bar. We had a great night drinking 2 for 1 beers and we topped the night off with a Canadian Club on the rocks. Needless to say the next morning we woke up with a headache. Unfortunately we had already paid for the equipment rental so we had to go skiing. We decided to take our chances and try going to Milford Sound again, so we checked out of our hostel before going skiing.

We went skiing at Coronet Peak which is approx 1650m high, however the ski area starts at 1100m so there is only 500m of ski area, just a touch higher than Blue Mountain. We were not in our best shape that day and we hadn’t been on skis in over a year and half so it was hard going. Also, since it was Saturday there were a lot of people on the hill and the wait for the lift was around half hour. The views from the top were stunning. From the top we could see the Remarkables Mountain Range as well as Queenstown. Unfortunately during our 3rd run a cloud came in and covered the peak and the views were gone. After 6 runs we called it a day, my legs were done and I didn’t think I was going to make it down the last run. It wasn’t worth the $95 per person we had paid for the lift tickets. On the back down the mountain, I looked up and saw only the peak of the mountain was covered in cloud. The rest of the sky was crystal clear. Figures.

Franz Josef Glacier

There are two main glaciers people visit while in NZ. Franz Josef and Fox. They are with 50km’s of each other and actually come front the same glacier at the top of the mountain range, but split off in their respective valleys. We arrived at Franz Josef in the evening and found a cheap double room at the Franz Chateau. It’s not actually a chateau but a hostel, but I loved it as in addition to the heater in the room, we had electric blankets! This was the first time I was toasty warm since arriving in NZ. I didn’t want to leave the room!

That night it was pouring rain. It was more like a torrential downpour combined with hail. I thought the streets were going to flood as I watched the rivers of rain on the streets. In addition to the pouring rain we had thunder and lighting. It was all very exciting until the power went out. Andrew went to check out the situation but I stayed behind to hold on to the warmth of the electric blankets. We now had to heat at all! Luckily the power came back on within 30 minutes but as soon as it came on a siren started wailing just down the street. We had no idea what the siren was, and everyone in the hostel as well as the surrounding hostels came out to see. We were close to the sea and we thought it might be a Tsunami warning. The worst part was the owners of the hostel had left for the night so there was no one to tell us what was going on. After a good 10 minutes Andrew and I got into our car and drove around looking for the source to discover it’s the volunteer firefighter’s station and that’s the siren they use to call the volunteer fire fighters in case of emergency. The fire alarm had gone off in the YHA next door. Once the firefighters arrived the siren went off. When I actually looked at the map later on, we weren’t that close to the Tasman Sea so a tsunami wasn’t really a concern here. It just goes to show how paranoid we had become about a tsunami.

The next day it was still pouring. We had planned on doing a guided glacier hike but it didn’t look very appealing in the rain. We stayed in bed for a good portion of the day but went for a drive to the Fox glacier village just to see what was in the area. When we came back we went to see what the weather would be like the next day to see if we could do a glacier hike and the weather looked somewhat promising for the next morning so we booked a half day hike.

We woke up early the next day and put on our warmest clothes, had a good hearty breakfast and walked over to the office where we were to meet the guide. It was still raining but not too bad and we were hoping it was going to clear up. As we waited in line to check in we found out all the hikes had been cancelled for the day due to extreme weather coming in. We were so disappointed! Now what were we going to do for the rest of the day? We decided to do the walking trail which would take us right up to the Franz Josef glacier. It was the next best thing to actually climbing the glacier. We did the 1.5 hour return walk without encountering any rain. It was windy and cold, but no rain. We felt ripped off (even though we got our money back…although we did end up losing $13 from the return because of the exchange rate) as we could have done the hike! After that we drove to the Fox Glacier village to do another hour walk. It would turn out the extreme weather didn’t come in until that night, with some serious thunder and lighting. Andrew said it had been the biggest thunder and lightning storm he had ever seen, but I slept through it all. It seems I can sleep through pretty much anything.