Going Out With a Financial Bang!

After an over-abundance of worry and doubt, we finally sold our car at the end of the day yesterday. Here is how it went down: I went down to the front desk at the hostel in the morning to deal with an annoying room switch situation (I won't get into it), when I overheard the man in front of me telling the clerk that he was "hoping to finally buy a car today." After about 3 seconds of deliberation, I decided to speak up and tell the man about our car (at that point we had decided to change our asking price from $3,500 to $3,000 since we had no interest the first day that it was displayed in the car market). I was completely honest with the man, even going to the trouble (and risk) of telling him outright about the few minor issues with the car (i.e. leaking transmission fluid, shuddering brakes, etc). He left acting very interested, heading directly to the car market. I was hopeful.

Meanwhile, Brian and Staci were at the car market at this same time, lowering our asking price on the vehicle. They stayed long enough to also talk to the interested man (I think he was from Belgium) and corroborate everything I had told him. After we all met up and discussed the prospect of selling the car, we basically waited around anxiously until we decided to call the car market around 2 pm. This is where our anxiety came to a head, as the man at the car market told us that our car was taken out of the lot for an inspection in the morning and was still not back yet after over 4 hours. This was very unsettling, as we were worried that we could lose the entire day to display the car to other potential buyers, if the Belgian withdrew his interest. If this had been the case, we would more than likely have had to sell the car to a garage today for an insultingly low price. Luckily though, just when we were about to call the car market back to demand that they retrieve the car from the mechanic's garage (across the street), I received a phone call from the Belgian. He basically said that he wanted to make a few repairs on the car (as suggested by the crooked mechanic) and felt that we should help cover the cost of those repairs. Much to my surprise, however, he still offered us the very fair selling price of $2,800, which I immediately agreed to. Needless to say, we were extatic, especially since we had bought the car only a month ago for $2,500!

There was one more minor obstacle that we had to overcome before this story could have a happy ending: retrieving the money. The problem was, the Belgian was having trouble withdrawing such a large lump sum from his bank account. We gave him a few hours before we called the car market again about a half hour before they closed, and they told us that he had still not returned with the money. While we realized that there was a possibility that he would not be able to get the funds until today (if at all), Brian and I decided to chance it and take a bus to the market right at their closing time (5 pm) to see if he somehow showed up in time. Luck struck again, and about 1 minute after we entered the market garage, in came the Belgian with the $2,800 in cash. With the cash in hand, we bid the man good luck on his 6 month journey in New Zealand and were FINALLY able to relax. It was a huge weight off of our shoulders, and when we got back to the hostel to tell the girls they were already pre-celebrating with a bottle of wine.

Today is the last day of our trip, so we decided to visit one more attraction before bidding Auckland and New Zealand as a whole farewell. We actually just came back from an excursion up to Mt. Eden, an inactive volcano in the heart of the city and Auckland's highest natural point of elevation. The trip was short and sweet and though the skies were far from clear enough to get a great view, we still got to see an impressive city scape. The best part though was the insanely strong and consistent wind gusts that we felt at the summit (see below).




I got a little carried away here (below).




While we could not afford sky diving here in NZ, Jessica got to experience a free simulation (see video below).





Tonight we will go out to a nice dinner (now that we have all redeemed our budgets a bit) and prepare for the arduous, 30+ hour journey back to the states tomorrow. It has been a phenomenal trip, enjoyed by all. The things I've seen and experienced in the past three months have been more diverse and astounding than I could have hoped for when we began planning this trip over half a year ago. I am glad that I could take you all along for the ride with this blog, or at the least give you an abbreviated notion of what it has been like here on the other side of the world. I would love to get feedback to hear your thoughts and to see who has actually kept up with this blog: Email me at mikegil2008@gmail.com



Thanks for reading!!


Sincerely,

Mike


PS-I have enjoyed creating and maintaining this blog so much that I think I am going to do something similar for my field and laboratory work during my post-graduate studies, wherever they end up being. Expect more on that in 2009!

Cross Country Chronicles

A lot of time has passed since my last post, and we have covered a tremendous amount of ground, from the southern side of the South Island to the northern side of North Island. To start where I left off last, we ended up leaving Christchurch earlier than we had originally anticipated and made our way back up north towards Nelson. Just before we left the city though, we were able to FINALLY clear up the ordeal of our insurance settlement after hours on a pay phone and in a State Insurance office. I'm relieved to report that we have been awarded our claim (apparently the original check got lost in the mail, but we were able to wire the funds in).

We were happy to make the stop in Nelson on our way back up to the North Island. We arrived last Friday and dispersed for the day to enjoy the town/surrounding countryside. Just northeast of town, I did a solo hike up a very steep pastoral terrain overlooking a pristine marine reserve. It was a tough climb, but the views were awesome (see photos below).

I also felt the need to document the thorny, thistle-like flower below, as it was vegetation like this that made the hike a bit more uncomfortable in my sandals. Pretty flower though.


I did run into a problem--after a 45 minute ascent, I realized had come to a crossroads with a fenced area to the left and a seemingly well-beaten path to my right. I went with the more obvious choice, but when I started to climb the trail to the right I realized that the gravel was unusually loose. What made matters worse was that this path was literally on the edge of a very steep drop off and it became less and less beaten as I progressed. Finally, the path disappeared altogether and I found myself surrounded by sheep that seemed very surprised to see a human. This is where I realized that I had made a wrong turn. Getting back through the thick brush was difficult, and I had nearly lost the path that I had just left. All in all a slightly stressful experience, but I made it out with only a few cuts and bruises (I slipped and fell once, luckily not off the mountain).

When I got back to the fenced area (previously the path to the left), I realized that there was a gate allowing passage for trekkers. I felt pretty foolish at that point, but I was happy I finally found the correct route. From that point forward, the hike was a real pleasure, and very relaxing despite the relentless increase in elevation. I was taken through bright, lime-green pastures housing goats, cattle and, of course, sheep. The animals didn't even seen to mind my presence, allowing me to get a few photos with them (below).


It was a great hike and a much-needed workout compared the lethargic city life that I had recently experienced, and I completed the loop in about an hour and a half.

The next morning, we left our beloved South Island to finally begin back-tracking. It was sad leaving the wilder island, but there was still enough left to see up north to keep us optimistic. Our main goal after arriving in Wellington (North Island) was to check out some of the local sites from the filming of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Well, we were told ahead of time that if we did not invest in a guide book (complete with GPS coordinates for each and every film site in the country) we would be hard-pressed to find any of these locations. This advice proved to be correct, and the first two sites that we had been given directions to eluded us completely. We ended up having to give up until the next morning.

Luck was on our side this day (Sunday), as the first place that we stopped, Harcourt Park where they shot Isengard in the movie, had a private tour guide leading a few people around and pointing out significant areas. We eavesdropped as best as we could without drawing too much attention and were able to ascertain that the tree below was in fact in the movie (I know it doesn't seem that cool, but when you spent the previous day driving around aimlessly with no results it was spectacular).



The same goes for Rivendell below (there were actually sign postings for this site).


Not too impressive, but if you are a Lord of the Rings geek like me and Brian, it was a grand experience. Oh, and speaking of geekiness, I got another great shot of a fern frond below on the way out of the park (I think it is safe to say that I am obsessed with these photogenic plants).


I will keep the next dismal part of the story as abridged as possible. So our next stop after Wellington was going to be Tongariro National Park, a volcanic playground complete with three active sites, visible lava flows and steam vents. This area is also home to the best day hike in the country: The Tongariro Crossing. Needless to say we were very excited. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side and the day after our late-afternoon arrival to the park, a large system passed over, reducing visibility to zero. Such is the weather in this region, we were told, so we were not too surprised but certainly disappointed. The weather was predicted to worsen daily, with possibilities for snow--not a good omen for an alpine trek. Reflecting on the great weather that we'd had at other locations, especially Milford Sound, helped to alleviate our moods, as we regrettably made the practical decision to leave the park and continue north.

Though we did not get to see active lava flows, we experienced the next best thing on our subsequent stop in the geothermal hot spot of Rotorua. Here we got to see (and feel) natural hot and cold springs, but we could not go in all the way, as the sign explains below (just to fill you in a bit more, the parasite that the sign below refers to swims into your ears/nose and burrows into your brain--yeah, not worth diving in).


We also got to see some really cool natural boiling mud pools (see pic and video below). I could watch these crazy bubbles all day, but the inescapable scent of strong sulfur was definitely the limiting factor of our visit.






We spent the night in Rotorua (indoors, due to the very volatile, often wet weather conditions) and set out the next day on a mission: see a kiwi, the very endangered national bird of New Zealand. Just to give you a brief background on these adorable fuzz balls, they are basically flightless birds that sleep about 20 hours a day and then spend four hours poking around dirt to find worms to eat. They are lazy, slow, fat, and easily the cutest bird I've ever seen. But as the kiwi's major vice is sloth, it is no wonder that the population (native only to New Zealand) has been nearly wiped off the planet due to introduced land predators, chief among them are dogs.

Now that I've bored you with the details, I'll tell you about our encounter with the animal. We decided to check out a Kiwi recovery center/zoo in Rotorua called Rainbow Springs. I'm glad to say that the cheesy name of this place did not negatively outweigh all of the fine exhibits that it had to offer, showcasing all of the famous wild residents of New Zealand. While the swan below is obviously not endemic to the area, it was the tamest I've ever seen, allowing me to get within inches to take the nice macro shot.


Below is the New Zealand pigeon, or the 'King of all Pigeons' as I like to call it. It is basically a normal pigeon with a stomach about 5 times the size of those in the U.S. though with the same size head as its Western cousins.


The native Tuatara lizard below is a small wonder it itself. Dating back to the Jurassic period, these lizards are estimated to live up to 300 years. They are hence referred to as a 'living fossil.' Look at that eye!


While we did thoroughly enjoy checking out the animals above, obviously our main purpose for our visit to Rainbow Springs was the kiwi. At the end of the path through the zoo, we finally got our first glimpse of a live one in the nocturnal exhibit (below is a photo from the web, just to give you an idea--I was unable to catch my own due to the darkness).


We were also allowed to return to the park in the evening for the open kiwi exhibit, featuring four of the birds in large pens, allowing them to roam freely and behave as they might in the wild. We were very pleasantly surprised by this encounter, and we got to watch the birds, up-close as they patrolled their enclosers, foraged for worms and even loudly communicated with each other.

It was great seeing the Kiwi finally, and we watched them for over a half hour--their movements reminded me of a dinosaur and at the very least something from a pre-historic era.

The following day was our last in Rotorua, and we took advantage of an abrupt break in the foul weather to do a quick 3-hour circuit up to the peak of Rainbow Mountain. The hike was no Tongariro Crossing, but the steam vents, crater lakes and red cliffs made it well worth the effort (see photo below).

That night, we drove through the Shire (I apologize for yet another Lord of the Rings reference) on our way to a very beautiful free camp site. This was may favorite campsite yet, and the sunset on the adjacent stream pictured below helps to explain why.

Since this was to be our final night camping, we decided to celebrate and cracked open a few cases of local beer and enjoyed the scenery. Part of the landscape was a swing bridge crossing the stream from above, which I decided to use as a vantage point to take one of our last group photos. The problem was, in order to capture the beautiful background as well as the four of us, I had to position my camera on the center of the swing bridge and sprint down to the riverbank where my three travel companions waited. The first time this did not quite work out--I almost made it before the 30 second timer went off! (see below--I am the blur out to the left)

As you can see below, on the second attempt I got my head in the game and got their in time, somehow avoiding a sprained ankle/head injury while dashing through the sloping, rocky field.

It is hard to tell if I speak for the group when I say this, but I will sincerely miss camping in New Zealand.

We are now back in Auckland where we have spent the last two days preparing to sell our beloved Abe (car). We've put up postings in hostels, put the car in a resale garage and even went to the trouble of renting a cellular phone to make the transaction easier.

Keep your fingers crossed for us! I'll let you know how it goes.


Mike

Excessive Cuteness Meets Mother Nature

We have just arrived in Christchurch from Dunedin and the scenic Otago peninsula. To back track a bit, we enjoyed the rest of our stay in Dunedin, where the group split up a bit to take in different parts of the city. Jessica and I decided to make a stop at the renown Dunedin Museum,
where we were pleasantly surprised by the historical artifacts exhibits.

In addition to the preserved bones of a massive extinct Moa and stuffed Kiwi (pictured with Jess above), the Pacific Islands displays were impressive, reminding me of my dealings in French Polynesia just last year.

After the museum, we grabbed some delicious cheap sushi (I love college towns) and headed off to the historical train station (where we are standing below) to take part in one of the "world's great train rides." I am referring to the Taieri Gorge Limited, which is a classy route through a rugged, virtually uninhabited gorge.

Though it was Jessica who wanted to experience one of New Zealand's famous train rides all along, I found myself really enjoying the scenery that the train had to offer and we really got to experience it freely in the open-air sections between train carts (see picures below).



Above is one of the several viaducts that we passed over--it was rickety but thankfully it was also structurally sound.
Can you imagine being a railroad worker posted at the hut above? Jessica at 5' 4'' couldn't even fit through the door! I guess people are taller these days...

That night we decided to drive out to the coastal town of Porto Bello, just east of Dunedin on the Otago peninsula. We got in late but were able to get a good deal on a lodge for the evening, and after Brian spoke to a local bar tender we realized that we were lucky that it wasn't the high season yet, as accommodation in the town was booked through 2012 for the peak summer months. We rested well for the evening and had an early start the next day.

In the morning, we decided to do a local walk, through pastoral coast lands to a point called 'the Chasm.' Brian was a bit under the weather (due to beer the night before) so he rested up in the car, but he definitely missed out, as the scenery was beautiful and unique despite all that we've seen so far. The lush green pasture on rolling hills, dropping off into the sea reminded me of Scotland, and the views were vast from the Chasm (see below).



After the walk, we headed back to the city but only just passed through on our way up north. We did make time to drive up and down Baldwin Street, which holds the record for being the steepest street in the world (I am standing on it below). Jessica was reluctantly behind the wheel, but in low gear and with a lot of encouragement our red wagon (now affectionately referred to as "Abe" because of our license plate number) was able to make the treacherous climb to the top of Baldwin. It was a pretty neat experience, and luckily the brakes did not fail on the way down!



After leaving the city we made a brief stop at the famous Moeraki Boulders. These massive rocks sit in clusters on the beach and are remarkably smooth and rounded from constant weathering (see below).


Brian and I took advantage of the terrain with a quick kung fu fight before getting back into the car (below).



That night we decided to stop in a town called Omaru for dinner and to visit an acclaimed Blue penguin colony. The colony itself is pretty remarkable, as it was set up by a nonprofit organization that built little penguin dens for wild penguins to use for breeding. Well the idea worked, and after 15 years the number of resident breeding pairs increased from a handful to over 100. Now there are several wild penguins that choose to nest in this area on their own volition, making the colony a huge conservation success since so much of the Blue penguin's homeland has been encroached upon by development (much like the endangered Yellow-eyed penguin pictured in my last blog). I will not bore you with any more details except to say that these Blue penguins are the smallest penguins in the world, reaching a maximum height of about a foot, which inevitably increases their appeal. So back to our visit...

We got to the colony visitor center about a half hour early (we were scheduled to watch the penguins return to their homes from gathering food at sea at about 9 pm), but we were glad that we did because we actually got to see a few early birds (pun intended) arrive on the beach while it was still light out. We watched from a set of designated stands, situated far enough from the penguins and their path to their homes to not disturb them, but we still got some great views of the animals awkwardly stumbling across rocks and flat ground to quickly seek shelter. They arrived in several large 'rafts,' or groups of a dozen or so to avoid predators. We watched in awe for about an hour as they came in, wave after wave. It was an adorable site, which was enhanced even more by the occasional collision between a penguin and one of the many resident bunnies that also lived in the penguin nesting area. As the night rolled on, more and more spectators left until it was just the four of us and an Australian couple. This is where cute turned to wild, as a pair of penguins began to mate right outside their den opening. It was quite a site (and sound), though it did not last long. Afterwards things got even crazier as a pair of males violently fought over a female. The bout lasted for over a minute and ended with the loser, bloodied up from beak stabbings, waddling away in defeat. It was kind of sad (though I'm sure the hurt bird shook it off), but it was a reminder that we were dealing with wild animals here. Just before we left we enjoyed a few more close encounters, including a mating pair nearly stepping over me and Jessica's feet as they made their way to their den. I also caught one on film walking just inside the restricted nesting area (below).



Needless to say, we got all that we came for and then some at the Blue penguin colony. We got a late start camping for the evening though and had to pitch tents in the dark. It was worth it though, and fortunately we were able to stay for free at a DOC camp ground.

The next day (today), we got a much-needed oil change and made the drive to Christchurch where we are now. Tomorrow we will likely check out a few museums and gardens in the South Island's largest city and then continue north. Thankfully, since Dunedin it seems to have warmed up due to our geographic and seasonal position. I am hoping the nights of sleeping in thermal clothing have passed!

Mike

Surreal Scenes, and Weight Off My Shoulders

It has been a pretty intense visual adventure since my last blog post. At this point I think we've driven through the most diverse array of weather and landscapes possible on the planet. Actually, the day after my last post we camped at an RV park and experienced a very unseasonable snowstorm that we later found out was an unexpected Antarctic system. The snow continued into the next day's drive (pictured below).


In the early afternoon, while I was driving on the narrow roads in the cliffs, we were hit again by a brief downpour of snow, in which we were unable to see anything but the road 10 feet in front of us. Don't worry, I drove to the conditions, and when the system let up almost as quickly as it arrived, the scene was one to remember, with thin white clouds rising off the nearby mountain face. It was such an incredible site, we had to pull over to get a better look (see below).

We also got a great view of Mt Aspiring from the road (below). It's hard to believe that we seem to just stumble across this kind of awe-inspiring scenery on a daily basis.


Later that day we booked a cruise around Milford Sound--rumored to be one of the most scenic locales in the world. The cruise was not scheduled for two days, allowing us to slowly make our way through the rugged Fiordlands, stopping in Te Anau to pick up snow chains and battle a massive trout (pictured below).


We got to see some incredible sights on the drive to the lodge (that we planned to book for the evening), including Mirror Lake below.



The lodge itself was a sight (below), as it was built in the 1920s, complete with a coal furnace that we were quite thankful for in the freezing night. During our stay, just after dusk we got to go check out a small population of glowworms, inhabiting an outcrop just off of the road that our lodge was on.

The next day we got up bright and early to drive the short 45 minutes to Milford Sound for our highly-anticipated cruise. Just before we set out for the harbor, a large Kea (parrot, pictured below), landed right next to our window. He was definitely eyeing our complimentary muffins, and after talking with some locals we realized that we were lucky to not have them ripped out of our hands, as they are the most intelligent (and possibly most aggressive) birds in the world. They are known to destroy cars by smashing windows to steal food inside.


As far as the cruise, I am happy to say that we were far from let down and if anything our expectations were greatly exceeded. We basically just did a full circle of the sound in about an hour and a half. This area, carved out of the landscape by ancient glaciers, was one of the most memorable places I've ever been, and the pictures below help to explain why.

Above is one of the first sites we saw from the boat--views like this could be seen for 360 degrees.
There were hundreds of waterfalls like the one above, cutting into the cliffs.
The one below actually got us wet!

Below was one of the last photos I got from the boat tour--I like it because it really seems to capture the Kiwi spirit.

We were also very lucky with wildlife encounters and got to see the 'trifecta'--sealions, dolphins, and even a penguin (unfortunately, I did not get the penguin on film--this error was rectified later, as you will see). I could have sworn those dolphins below were looking at me. They were huge by the way, easily the biggest I've ever seen (one of the crew members told me that they could get to be up to 4 meters in the Sound, though these were about 3 meters~9ft). Watching them from the bow reminded me of bow watch on the SSV Robert C. Seamans. Wow, I miss that ship (and its crew).

The seals below can be seen on this same rock year round. I got some great close-up views with my binoculars.

After the phenomenal cruise, we stopped briefly at the harbor to get a group photo (seen below), and then were off to do a 3-hour hike up to Key Summit.


The hike was pretty mild, aside from the melting ice occasionally dropping on my head, but the view was astounding. At the peak, we got a phenomenal 360 degree view of the surrounding, snow-capped mountain range. See the picture below and imagine this all around you--my video would not upload :( .


The alpine landscape was even more appealing in wake of the recent winter weather, and all of the trees and plants were encased in ice (see picture below).


It was a great hike and a great day, and even driving through the Fiordlands was a real pleasure. The next day we continued to make our way south, until we could go south no more, literally. We hit the southern-most point of the country, Slope Point (pictured below).


Getting to the point was pretty comical, as we had to walk through a farmers sheep pasture until we got to a scenic cliff overlooking the sea (see pictures below).
Here is Staci, leading the way and making sure not to step in anything unpleasant (there was a lot to watch out for).
I swear this guy above had evil intentions.

The cliff above was treacherous, with massive waves constantly crashing against boulders. It was very cool, but the wind was a bit too intense to enjoy the spot for long--just look at the trees below!

These trees, along with all the trees in the area, are actually permanently like this due to the constant wind from the south.

On our drive back from Slope Point, we realized that we were finally heading back home, as we had been heading south for about a month now. We also saw a few more interesting sites this day, including a herd of sheep completely blocking the road (below)....


...and a massive military vehicle randomly parked next to a small bridge next to a farm (we think they were doing surveying work but were heavily armed nonetheless).


Our last stop for the day was at a beach that is home to a small yellow-eyed penguin population. Fortunately, right when we walked down to the beach, we noticed a European couple photographing something in the bushes. Sure enough, it was a penguin. I was able to get a quick photo (below), but then decided to run back to the car to get my binoculars for a closer look. By the time I got back I had just enough time to watch him hop away, rock by rock until he was no longer visible. It was a short, but sweet encounter and we kept our distance, as mandated by law.

We spent the night at a very cozy backpackers lodge on a hill in the middle of a sheep pasture. We got to watch some TV and relax in the heated house that we had all to ourselves. It was a brief reminder of the many creature comforts that we have left behind, but at a price of $23 a night, it was not meant to last. We set out early the next day to hike to some waterfalls and check out Nugget Point, a known seal/penguin hangout. The falls were cool, but paled in comparison to those of Milford, but Nugget Point was a real treat. Though we did not see any penguins, we did get to see (via binoculars) a lot of lazy seals strewn about the rocks below our cliff-side vantage point at the lighthouse pictured below.


The jagged rocks below reminded me of the islands off Thailand's west coast--except these had seals on them!
By the end of the day we made it to the college town of Dunedin, though 'town' is probably an understatement because this place is the biggest city we've been to since Auckland. I am also relieved to report that two days ago I submitted an application for a National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship--it was a lengthy process, and getting it done while touring the world feels great. Last night we tried to celebrate at the local bars, but realized quickly that hiking boots do not make good dance shoes and $7 beers would likely destroy our budgets. We had fun either way and took it easy today, just lounging around our hostel. Tomorrow we plan to tour the city and the next day the penguin nesting grounds on the nearby Otago Peninsula.

I'll keep you posted!

Mike