A camping kind of Chirstmas

Anchorage Bay, from the trail
The last 12km....you can see some of the beaches down there.

Looking North

Unnamed waterfall

Christmas Morning!!!!

stockings hung with care.....

They swim around like you are not even there with your kayak

Akersten Bay...1st night camping on the beach in Abel Tasman...

Santa Clause does exist. This I know because I asked him to quell the monstrous swells and part the grey clouds as my Christmas present this year. Sure enough, when the forecast called for yet more rain, my Christmas wish was answered. and I woke to the sunlight beaming down through the grey clouds... beckoning to release their grasp from the torrent of the previous day!

I spent 3 days kayaking north up the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park and then hiked (tramped) back the coastal track for 20 some odd kilometers over the next 2 days. So technically Christmas eve (day) was spent on the kayak in a violent unforgiving storm. Amid seals and sea birds...which was pretty cool. And Christmas eve night I hung my dirty, sweaty, muddy, foot-brined sock in the tent and waited for Santa to clear the rain and stuff something sweet and delicious to eat for breakfast. Sure enough he did. I got a really kick-ass ornament, some chocolates and a delicious organic New Zealand Tengelo! Thanks Santa! ;)
If I celebrated festivus I might say something along the lines of "It's a festivus miracle!"

I asked myself What does Christmas feel like? And I knew immediatly it was the warmth of a fireplace nap, and the cold nose of a husky on your cheek. It's the laughter of family and the smells of the kitchen when the oysters and champagne are being served. And its the dimly lit Christmas tree on Christmas night after the presents have been unwrapped... when the lights have gone out and the house lays down to rest. Not having that this year, I didn't know what to expect, what to feel, what to look for. Sure the 25th is the DAY I know to be Christmas, but where is John Denver? And tree cookies? Where is the rude joke of a sibling you see once a year or the taste of a new sauce for the potatoes? Christmas in New Zealand, away from the lights, and the cold. Away from the familiar smells and comforts of home, the wilds of New Zealand opened a new page in my book of Christmas memories. One filled with skin searing sun and cold piercing rain. Salty deadlocked hair and freeze dried beef stroganoff. Of sweet smelling sea breezes and the wonders of clean, cold stream water on your face. The icy chill of a naked high-tide swim in anticipation of the days adventures. (Don't worry, nobody else was awake that early!) A walk on the barnacled rocks of the island across from your campsite which is quickly interrupted by the bark of a 500 pound bull seal just in front of you telling you to back off, this is his territory as he undulates after you in a hypnotic swelling of fur and fat. (Trust me...it's scary when he is more sure footed on the sharp rocks and he bares his horrible teeth at you...they ain't so cute then!)
This is a brief glimpse of Christmas this year. This computer isnt dealing well with photos, so ill try again at another cafe. I'm off to the north island tomorrow and will leave the south island for this trip. I will be away from things till possibly after the new year, but that's OK.
Happy New everyone! Drink many glasses of champagne for me, and eat a bit of fine cheese. That's what I'll be doing!
Cheers!

Sandflys, rain and the west coast

East coast black sand beach
The water is freezing cold, so don't let the color fool you

This animal looks oddly familiar...New Zealand Fur seal.

Beach campsite near Westport. The clouds broke long enough to cook some curry.

Punkaiki blow holes.

Fiddleheads are EVERYWHERE

After the glacier hike. I have never been so happy to be so wet!

Fox Glacier from the hike up through the forest.

Jacksons Bay lobster boat named after my sister.

The blue pools on the way to Haast. Looks like Listerene.

Midnight moon on Lake Ohau (?)

South Lake Mavora campsite....just behind me is where they filmed Fangorn Forest.

Bathing Hole.



Sandfly nightmares

If there is one thing everyone forgets to mention about New Zealand in their "oh right...I almost forgot" moment it's the sandflys. Well im not going to forget and iI'm going to warn you all that as wonderful and exotic and lush and remote as it is here, there are sandflys just about everywhere. They look like big fruit flys, and they bite. The bite doesn't swell up or hurt for about 72 hours, so just when you think the swarm that you snuggled with last night didnt have a feeding frenzy on your exposed flesh, a few days go by and a violent surge of sandfly toxins enter your bloodstream and set off a feverish race of violent itching. its terrible and only a big glass of wine, and an anti-histamine ease the pain. The bugs inThailand, Cambodia and Vietnam were nothing compared to the New Zealand Sandfly.

Wet n' Wild Glacier fun!

On the west coast, about 100 kilometers north of the township of Haast, is Fox Glacier. There are a number of glacier here, but Fox is the lesser visited of the 2 major hitters. (Franz Joseph being the major attraction)

We had camped off a 4x4 road, north of Lake Paringa for the night, and due to the rain (I'll get into this later) we took off about 9 am to see the glacier. We pulled off the highway down the Department of Conservation road that leads to the glacier but were halted at a gate indicating the road was closed. DAMN! Not more than a few minutes later a park ranger pulled down the road and opened the gate but warned us that due to a landslide the road was closed yet again further down but that we should be able to at least see the glacier from there. Prying further into the situation, It turns out that there has been biblical proportions of rain in the past few days and landslides have threatened to wreak havoc on the west coast. We were able to see the glacier, but only from a afar, and so my impending malase and disheartening gloom got a little more intense. I have never seen a glacier, and St. Marys doesnt really count in my book, and so seeing this and perhaps touching this was really important to me!

FEAR NOT...

There was a company in town that hired guides that would not only take you to the terminal face of the glacier, but take you up on the glacier for a hike around about halfway up! So thats what happened later that afternoon. So it's been raining all day and this makes for all kinds of rivers which cascade down the glacier and into the crags and crevices, only adding to the fun. Because it's New Zealand and everything is squirelly, exciting and backwards, this glacier is surrounded by temperate rainforests and is only about 15 kilometers from the sea! It's a phenomenon that is only found in New Zealand thus enhancing the reality of what a wondefully crazy place this really is. And for those of you who miss it... ask me about my my unholy intestinal distress that plagued my journey halfway up the ice flow. I thought about sharing it here, but I think there are only a select few of my readers who really care about this sort of thing!

The rest of the drive up the west coast was rainy and grey and indeed proved impossible to sightsee. (literally you couldnt see more than a few hundred meters off the road and so "seeing sights" was impossible.) Where is could I popped off to snap a a few photos before heading back across to the the east coast to see Kaikoura. (again...rain....so the Kaikoura mountain range that falls into the sea was a sightseeing nightmare.)

I'm headed off to Abel Tasman to go kayaking and hiking for 6 days, and will be away till just after Christmas. Consider this everyones holiday greeting and will someone please listen to the John Denver Chirstmas album for me? I thought I had it on my iPod but I dont and it's really hard to get through this holiday away from the family without this album! Nic, im counting on you for this!

Merry Chirstmas everyone!

J

(and sorry about the blue tone of this post, the rain kind of just brings it out in me...)

Learning to drive

Silver Fiddlehead

Morning rainbow over Glenorchy....it just sounds like there should magic in the air.

Just another view I had to deal with on the way camping.

Mount Cook and Lake Pukaki. The water looks like blue milk, i have never seen anything outside a chemists lab that even remotely resembles this!

The Ben Ohau Range with Mt Cook in the background.

11:15 pm. Had to take a pee so I was presented with Mount Cook in all it's evening glory. It doesnt get dark till aroun 10/1030 here because it's so far South

Not too shabby of a place to call home for the night...oh and thats the camper van....Strugatsky!

The Banks peninsula and the Akaroa harbour. This is where the Onuku Farm Hostel is.

Obviously they drive on the other side of the street down here, which for us in the states is the wrong side of the street! After first getting in the car I thought the entire process of being behind a wheel again after not having driven for 2 months would be frightful enough not to add a new element of having the wipers and the turn signal flip flopped around. They have a crazy law down here that if two cars are turning down the same street and meet head to head, the car with the biggest distance to turn has right of way. (again, total opposite of our right of way laws)
In reality its no sweat. Round-a-bouts are no big deal and most of the time you don't even see another vehicle for hours! So I'm a champ now, I don't even activate the wipers when I want to turn left! I did get my hand stuck between the posts of the steering wheel as i reached in to reset the trip odometer as i was turning a corner and then went to turn out of thew corner and realized i couldnt becase my hand was stuck! Nearly crashed into a fruit stand and ruined someones hard days work! Don't try this EVER!
The above pictures take me from Christchurch to Akaroa down the inland scenic route to Mt. Cook and then over to Queenstown and Glenorchy/Kinloch. Then down again further to Milford Sound and then up to Te Anu and Lake Mavora! I'll be headed up the west coast tomorrow and am praying this spectacular weather lasts!
The landscapes here are shocking. They change literally every ten minutes as you drive. The craggy mountains collapse into soft verdant hills and the bluest waters morph instatly into the blackest abyss. You cant go one kilometer without seeing a sheep, and more accuratly seeing about 300 of them. I havent once smelt or seen the evidence of smog or pollution. Granted I havn't been to the bigger cities.
I have spent the night in some amazing places and have woken up to sunrises that have no place on this planet.

Fresh air...

Made it. The air is fresh, and the sights are wonderful. This is short, a compliment of the Cafe in Farlie, MacKenzie Country Soth Island. Im headed to Mount Cook for a night, hope the clouds clear and the rain plays its game somwhere else. Last night was cold, and I can only imagine it will be colder tonight. Time for the heavy clothes (which didn't come with me...DOH!) So far New Zealand is more than I expected it to be, two days at the Onuku Farm hostile put me in the right place. For those photo lovers, don't worry, they will come....just give it time.
I may not be reachable for some time, so don't fear if you dont hear from me till next week!

JMW

CHANGi International

Ok, so if you ever are stuck in Singapore for any extended period...you can add these perks to the list of entertainment options to help pass the time.
- Free movie theater
- Free X-Box, PS3, Wii
- Free online video games
- High-Def entertainment lounges about every 30 feet
- Orchid, Bamboo Fern, Cactus and Sunflower gardens
- A butterfly pavillion
- Any shop you could imagine...you want a Ferarri...they got one for sale here.

So, between fits of noturnal unrest I visted most of these just because I could.
Still a few hours to go before I actually can clear customs and check in, but I'll get to sleep on the plane tonight...I heard it snowed in D Town! Somebody, please....throw a snowball at someone else... And take Juno for a romp in the park...he loves a good fresh snow!

Singapore Airport

Internet is free in the airport here in Singapore. That said, I doubt that even this perk (along with bathroom attendants, free cell phonje charging lockers, rest beds, and fern gardens) will pass the next 30+ hours in any kinds of breakneck speed. . . I was supposed to be in New Zealand yesterday, and was pretty close to getting there but after a tedious few days on the phone (and a few hundred dollar phone bill) Singapore Airlines, named "the best airline in the world" failed to live up to any of there promises as such and could only cancel all my flights and was unable to rebook anything unless i could get through to the office in Banghkok. This bitter game of tail chasing to get to NZ has landed me with a perpetual stress neck and a wretched case of BO. . . I Was forced to rebook everything on my own, and with such short timing and heavy demand out of Thailand,I had to wait and wait here in Singapore for around 34 hours....
BUt tomorrow...oh yes tomorow evening i will be on a flight with Malaysia airlines and will ge to Chirstchurch on the 6th! I'll let you know how sleeping...like really sleeping....goes in the airport. BUt hey, on the bright side...they have drinking fountains here....with DRINKABLE WATER! How refreshing is that!