Abel Tasman 1:
http://bates.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020852&l=56908&id=14600837
Abel Tasman 2:
http://bates.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020853&l=3de5e&id=14600837
Abel Tasman 3:
http://bates.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020854&l=6d02e&id=14600837
Christmas in New Zealand (Glacier etc):
http://bates.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020855&l=36186&id=14600837
more to come!
Friday, December 28, 2007
BUNGYYYYYY!!!
so, first order of business in Queenstown...
given that it is the adventure capital of New Zealand...
I signed up for the NEVIS!!! This is the highest bungy in the country, one of the highest in the world, at 134 meters (over 400 feet). I was shaking just signing up for it.
So on January 2nd, to ring in the new years (i figured i'd be a bit under the weather on jan 1st, and there's a chance the bungy operators would be too...), i am jumping out of a small hut suspending on metal wires perched above a canyon in new zealand. 8.5 seconds of free fall. i will cry, i will probably pee my pants, but i think i will also have an amazing amazing experience. Janelle did it the other day and said it was just exhilarating, one of the best things she's ever done.
so wish we luck. AGGHHHHH!!!
Oh, and Queenstown is freakin gorgeous, I'm loving it so far. Ate a fergburger yesterday, the famous Qtown burger, and it was frikin great. Also went to a bar where you can buy a teapot of shots. oh fun fun. i will try not to spend all my money... I'm stayin at Base for the next 7 days, if for any reason anyone feels like locating me.
ok.
off i go.
love to all!
given that it is the adventure capital of New Zealand...
I signed up for the NEVIS!!! This is the highest bungy in the country, one of the highest in the world, at 134 meters (over 400 feet). I was shaking just signing up for it.
So on January 2nd, to ring in the new years (i figured i'd be a bit under the weather on jan 1st, and there's a chance the bungy operators would be too...), i am jumping out of a small hut suspending on metal wires perched above a canyon in new zealand. 8.5 seconds of free fall. i will cry, i will probably pee my pants, but i think i will also have an amazing amazing experience. Janelle did it the other day and said it was just exhilarating, one of the best things she's ever done.
so wish we luck. AGGHHHHH!!!
Oh, and Queenstown is freakin gorgeous, I'm loving it so far. Ate a fergburger yesterday, the famous Qtown burger, and it was frikin great. Also went to a bar where you can buy a teapot of shots. oh fun fun. i will try not to spend all my money... I'm stayin at Base for the next 7 days, if for any reason anyone feels like locating me.
ok.
off i go.
love to all!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Franz Josef Christmas
well, given that i've been away from the computer for a little while, first let me say...
MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!! I really hope everyone had a lovely holiday. i was thinking of you all and wishing you well.
On christmas eve, a bunch of us did a full day glacier walk on Franz Josef glacier, one of the steepest glaciers in the world, and one of the few that is actually moving forwards (ie getting bigger rather than smaller). It was INTENSE. It was an 8 hour trek that brought us across a rocky terrain before reaching the beginning of the glacier, a steep climb that we accomplished by trudging up hundreds of stairs cut out of the ice. we were dressed head to toe in some pretty rockin' glacier gear, including rainpants, raincoat, hat, gloves, boots, and cramp-ons. and it was raining buckets- i mean the heaviest rain i have ever been through in my life for such a long period of time. everything we brought with us was completely soaked, and our boots were transformed into lovely little private swimming pools. it was absolutely BRUTAL. the first 5 hours were hard as hell, but you couldn't be upset about hiking on a glacier, no matter what the conditions. after the first rocky and dirty bit, you step onto the most pristine ice formations you'll ever see, just perfect aqua blue rising up into steep peaks on either side, like a jagged half-pipe. we followed the guide one by one in a line, occasionally climbing up steps and using ice picks as walking sticks (they also doubled as sweet accessories for especially bad-ass photos). Funny thing- I actually met a guy from Maine-- his name is Tom and he's from outside Augusta, and he works on the glacier as a sort of maintanence person... smalllll world.
At the end of our trip, our feet were completely swollen and rinkled, and we were exhausted. My feet swelled up the next day and I had a limp for about three days, but I still maintain that is was worth it...
That night we went to the bar to celebrate Christmas Eve with our secret santa gifts. I got a stuffed gorilla that I later found out was from Thumper. We all decided to stay up wicked late that night, hanging out in the laundry room talking until the early hours of the morning.
That next day, we all woke up super late to find that it was perfectly clear and sunny out, which was a nice change. I went out on the absolutely best picnic of my life-- out on a trail in the park, sitting on a sheet, eating sandwiches, chips, fruit pies, and drinking wine. Midway through, the rain poured down and we huddled under the trees for more than an hour, just enjoying the scenery and the rain... it was absolutely perfect.
After arriving back at the hostel, most people went off to eat a big christmas dinner organized by the lodge, while emma and i and a few others went to the kitchen to cook our spectacular christmas dinners of noodles and veggies with cottage cheese... which is surprisingly good, actually...
The next morning, the 26th, we hopped back on the bus to drive to Makarora, and we saw the most stunning scenery of the trip. We passed through the Haast Pass and stopped at a reflective lake (the name of which I don't remember). That night we stayed at a lodge in the middle of nowhere in Makarora, and I finally got to a phone to call home and wish everyone a merry christmas...
The next day we took off and drove to Queenstown, stopping briefly in Wanaka to check out Puzzle World, this museum type thing with trippy rooms and mazes and such... it was wild. there was one room that completely threw of you sense of the horizontal, it was so bizarre and made we ridiculously motion sick... when we got back on the bus we enjoyed some more stunning scenery before touching down in Queenstown.
The next bit is kind of exciting. so i'm going to start a new post again. just for fun.
MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!! I really hope everyone had a lovely holiday. i was thinking of you all and wishing you well.
On christmas eve, a bunch of us did a full day glacier walk on Franz Josef glacier, one of the steepest glaciers in the world, and one of the few that is actually moving forwards (ie getting bigger rather than smaller). It was INTENSE. It was an 8 hour trek that brought us across a rocky terrain before reaching the beginning of the glacier, a steep climb that we accomplished by trudging up hundreds of stairs cut out of the ice. we were dressed head to toe in some pretty rockin' glacier gear, including rainpants, raincoat, hat, gloves, boots, and cramp-ons. and it was raining buckets- i mean the heaviest rain i have ever been through in my life for such a long period of time. everything we brought with us was completely soaked, and our boots were transformed into lovely little private swimming pools. it was absolutely BRUTAL. the first 5 hours were hard as hell, but you couldn't be upset about hiking on a glacier, no matter what the conditions. after the first rocky and dirty bit, you step onto the most pristine ice formations you'll ever see, just perfect aqua blue rising up into steep peaks on either side, like a jagged half-pipe. we followed the guide one by one in a line, occasionally climbing up steps and using ice picks as walking sticks (they also doubled as sweet accessories for especially bad-ass photos). Funny thing- I actually met a guy from Maine-- his name is Tom and he's from outside Augusta, and he works on the glacier as a sort of maintanence person... smalllll world.
At the end of our trip, our feet were completely swollen and rinkled, and we were exhausted. My feet swelled up the next day and I had a limp for about three days, but I still maintain that is was worth it...
That night we went to the bar to celebrate Christmas Eve with our secret santa gifts. I got a stuffed gorilla that I later found out was from Thumper. We all decided to stay up wicked late that night, hanging out in the laundry room talking until the early hours of the morning.
That next day, we all woke up super late to find that it was perfectly clear and sunny out, which was a nice change. I went out on the absolutely best picnic of my life-- out on a trail in the park, sitting on a sheet, eating sandwiches, chips, fruit pies, and drinking wine. Midway through, the rain poured down and we huddled under the trees for more than an hour, just enjoying the scenery and the rain... it was absolutely perfect.
After arriving back at the hostel, most people went off to eat a big christmas dinner organized by the lodge, while emma and i and a few others went to the kitchen to cook our spectacular christmas dinners of noodles and veggies with cottage cheese... which is surprisingly good, actually...
The next morning, the 26th, we hopped back on the bus to drive to Makarora, and we saw the most stunning scenery of the trip. We passed through the Haast Pass and stopped at a reflective lake (the name of which I don't remember). That night we stayed at a lodge in the middle of nowhere in Makarora, and I finally got to a phone to call home and wish everyone a merry christmas...
The next day we took off and drove to Queenstown, stopping briefly in Wanaka to check out Puzzle World, this museum type thing with trippy rooms and mazes and such... it was wild. there was one room that completely threw of you sense of the horizontal, it was so bizarre and made we ridiculously motion sick... when we got back on the bus we enjoyed some more stunning scenery before touching down in Queenstown.
The next bit is kind of exciting. so i'm going to start a new post again. just for fun.
some catching up to do... start with nelson/ able tasman
alright. it's been a while. i've had possibly the most spectacular week-or-so of my trip thus far, mostly due to the beautiful scenery of the south island of new zealand as well as some kickass travel companions who i am still have so much fun with. right now i'm at the base hostel in Queenstown (the adventure capital of new zealand!!! more on that to come...). but first, i have quite a bit of updating to do.
SO. Nelson, the town that is supposedly the "sunshine capital of NZ" was a bit of a bust... it rained for most of my two days there, and my only excursions involved a trip to the supermarket, a few jaunts around town (where i picked up some nice glass earrings and a sarong), and buying a roadside sausage on white bread.
On the 19th of December i left Nelson to travel on to Abel Tasman National Park. On the way, I met two lovely ladies-- Janelle from Seattle and Emma from Sweden, who would become my trusty companions for the next few days. We stayed that night at "Old McDonald's Farm" (that's really the name, btw...) right at the entrance of the national park. the three of us girls decided to do the "Kerry Pass With Cheese", and extra stray pass that brings you up into the Golden Bay area of the park, where the 3 days Abel Tasman Coastal Track ends, and where few tourists get to go.
So the next morning, we embarked on our brief stopover to the Golden Bay. first we sailed on a catamaran to anchorage beach, where we stopped and had lunch. on that trip, we saw the huge "split apple rock," an almost perfectly round rock that was split into two halves by some sort of natural erosion thingamagigger (wow, good thing i didn't major in geology...) Then we hopped onto the Maxi Taxi, a speed boat that would whip us around to our final destination. and on that boat was Kerry himself, the man who the pass is named after. He is an older (maybe mid 40s) fellow with an infectious, loud, rough laugh. apparently, the pass is called the Kerry Pass With Cheese because a few years ago, Kerry was driving in his car and was hit by a cheese truck, and was put into a coma after being crushed by a ton of cheese... so a bit of dark humor on the part of the stray crew...
that night we arrived to Pohara Sands Hostel in Pohara, a little town near Takaka. It was by far the best hostel i have stayed at in NZ... we had our own suite with the most comfortable mattresses imaginable. it was a treat. that evening we were all sitting around in the kitchen when suddenly Janelle said "wait guys, what was that??" and we all stood perfectly still... to realize we were experiencing an earthquake. It was about 6.8 on the richter scale up in the eastern north island, but for us it just registered as a short tremble. it was still a bit nerve-wracking...
That afternoon we biked out to a beautiful spot called "the grove" where you can look around at all these bizarre rock formations, which i thought all looked spookily like faces. it was a beautiful bike ride and walk.
The next morning (Friday the 21st of December) we took a long hike on the Coastal track to Gibbs Hill, a look out with one of the best views of the national park. It was a bit of a challenging hike, although the terrain was quite easy, mostly due to the heat. we were happy to reach the top for some lunch and views. all around it took us about 4 hours. That night we stayed at Pohara Sands again.
On saturday, Emma and I went into Takaka to see the Christmas Parade, which was really lovely. Sort of a small town thing with old automobiles and vintage tractors and the like. Takaka is a really cool little town, sort of out of the way and hippyish... I may consider settling down there for work, if Nelson and Queenstown don't grab me first. At around 1 pm that day we left Pohara sands and went first to Pupu Springs, which has the clearest water in the world. It was incredible, you can see the bottom of the springs (up to 10 meters) as clear as if it was under glass.
Then we went on to a farm where we fed tame eels raw meat, one of the most bizarre experiences of my life. man, those buggers are ugly. you stab a bit of meat with a stick and hold it out over the water, and they'll rise up out of the water with their mouths gaping open and clamp down on the stick. weiiiiird. some of the eels were as old as 100, and are the same eels that were fed when this bizarre past-time was established in the early 1900s. After that, we walked around the farm and fed the animals, which included a 5 day old fawn that just loved licking emma's face. absolutely freakin adorable.
From there we headed back to Old McDonald's Farm, and Emma and I went out on a walk on the beginning part of the Coastal Track (so now I can say i've done the beginning and the end!) up to Coquille Beach, where we laid in the sand in our bikinis until we couldn't stand the sand flies any longer.
On Sunday we hopped back on the stray bus with our driver, Ali Barbar, who i've had before and is absolutely hysterical. We drove down to Franz Josef, and epic journey that took around 8 hours. On the way we picked up some groceries as well as secret santa gifts... i had Thumper, the other stray driver, so I picked him up some chocolates and a bottle opener (the limit was 5 bucks). Also on the way, a man who was traveling alone from Taiwan accidentally dropped his bottle of wine when we were passing a sharp curve, and it shattered on the bus floor... so secretly during the ride I sent around a sheet of paper and had people sign up to pitch in some money to buy him another bottle at our next stop... so even though he had bought another bottle of wine in the meantime, it was nice to have a little bit of christmas spirit going around...
alright, franz josef is going to have to be another post, so i'll cut this one short. sorry again for the crappy grammar, etc... i still can't decide which words i feel like capitalizing at any one time.
cheeeeers
alli
SO. Nelson, the town that is supposedly the "sunshine capital of NZ" was a bit of a bust... it rained for most of my two days there, and my only excursions involved a trip to the supermarket, a few jaunts around town (where i picked up some nice glass earrings and a sarong), and buying a roadside sausage on white bread.
On the 19th of December i left Nelson to travel on to Abel Tasman National Park. On the way, I met two lovely ladies-- Janelle from Seattle and Emma from Sweden, who would become my trusty companions for the next few days. We stayed that night at "Old McDonald's Farm" (that's really the name, btw...) right at the entrance of the national park. the three of us girls decided to do the "Kerry Pass With Cheese", and extra stray pass that brings you up into the Golden Bay area of the park, where the 3 days Abel Tasman Coastal Track ends, and where few tourists get to go.
So the next morning, we embarked on our brief stopover to the Golden Bay. first we sailed on a catamaran to anchorage beach, where we stopped and had lunch. on that trip, we saw the huge "split apple rock," an almost perfectly round rock that was split into two halves by some sort of natural erosion thingamagigger (wow, good thing i didn't major in geology...) Then we hopped onto the Maxi Taxi, a speed boat that would whip us around to our final destination. and on that boat was Kerry himself, the man who the pass is named after. He is an older (maybe mid 40s) fellow with an infectious, loud, rough laugh. apparently, the pass is called the Kerry Pass With Cheese because a few years ago, Kerry was driving in his car and was hit by a cheese truck, and was put into a coma after being crushed by a ton of cheese... so a bit of dark humor on the part of the stray crew...
that night we arrived to Pohara Sands Hostel in Pohara, a little town near Takaka. It was by far the best hostel i have stayed at in NZ... we had our own suite with the most comfortable mattresses imaginable. it was a treat. that evening we were all sitting around in the kitchen when suddenly Janelle said "wait guys, what was that??" and we all stood perfectly still... to realize we were experiencing an earthquake. It was about 6.8 on the richter scale up in the eastern north island, but for us it just registered as a short tremble. it was still a bit nerve-wracking...
That afternoon we biked out to a beautiful spot called "the grove" where you can look around at all these bizarre rock formations, which i thought all looked spookily like faces. it was a beautiful bike ride and walk.
The next morning (Friday the 21st of December) we took a long hike on the Coastal track to Gibbs Hill, a look out with one of the best views of the national park. It was a bit of a challenging hike, although the terrain was quite easy, mostly due to the heat. we were happy to reach the top for some lunch and views. all around it took us about 4 hours. That night we stayed at Pohara Sands again.
On saturday, Emma and I went into Takaka to see the Christmas Parade, which was really lovely. Sort of a small town thing with old automobiles and vintage tractors and the like. Takaka is a really cool little town, sort of out of the way and hippyish... I may consider settling down there for work, if Nelson and Queenstown don't grab me first. At around 1 pm that day we left Pohara sands and went first to Pupu Springs, which has the clearest water in the world. It was incredible, you can see the bottom of the springs (up to 10 meters) as clear as if it was under glass.
Then we went on to a farm where we fed tame eels raw meat, one of the most bizarre experiences of my life. man, those buggers are ugly. you stab a bit of meat with a stick and hold it out over the water, and they'll rise up out of the water with their mouths gaping open and clamp down on the stick. weiiiiird. some of the eels were as old as 100, and are the same eels that were fed when this bizarre past-time was established in the early 1900s. After that, we walked around the farm and fed the animals, which included a 5 day old fawn that just loved licking emma's face. absolutely freakin adorable.
From there we headed back to Old McDonald's Farm, and Emma and I went out on a walk on the beginning part of the Coastal Track (so now I can say i've done the beginning and the end!) up to Coquille Beach, where we laid in the sand in our bikinis until we couldn't stand the sand flies any longer.
On Sunday we hopped back on the stray bus with our driver, Ali Barbar, who i've had before and is absolutely hysterical. We drove down to Franz Josef, and epic journey that took around 8 hours. On the way we picked up some groceries as well as secret santa gifts... i had Thumper, the other stray driver, so I picked him up some chocolates and a bottle opener (the limit was 5 bucks). Also on the way, a man who was traveling alone from Taiwan accidentally dropped his bottle of wine when we were passing a sharp curve, and it shattered on the bus floor... so secretly during the ride I sent around a sheet of paper and had people sign up to pitch in some money to buy him another bottle at our next stop... so even though he had bought another bottle of wine in the meantime, it was nice to have a little bit of christmas spirit going around...
alright, franz josef is going to have to be another post, so i'll cut this one short. sorry again for the crappy grammar, etc... i still can't decide which words i feel like capitalizing at any one time.
cheeeeers
alli
Monday, December 17, 2007
pics are up!
wellington - south island pics:
http://bates.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020602&l=3c3af&id=14600837
Glenmara pics:
http://bates.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020402&l=48452&id=14600837
http://bates.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020602&l=3c3af&id=14600837
Glenmara pics:
http://bates.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020402&l=48452&id=14600837
WWOOFing at Glenmara
ok, now onto the good stuff.
So, on the 9th of December, i rode the interislander fairy from wellington to picton (beautiful views of the marlborough sounds), and was picked up at the terminal by Frances Dalton, one of the owners of Glenmara, a small vineyard outside Blenheim.
So here's the story.
Glenmara = Glen (gaelic for valley) and Mara (maori for farm). Rob is Scottish and came over to NZ in his 20s, and has worked in the fire service, first in Hamilton (where he met Frances) before moving down here in the 1990s. Frances is Maori and English and is from the northern tip of the north island. She also worked in the fire service for a number of years before retiring to work on the vineyard. Rob has three children from his first marriage- Alison, Nicola, and Stefan, and Frances has two- George and Jos. All are grown up and living in places throughout NZ and Australia. Also in the house is Barbara, Frances' mom.
For pets there is Milly the cat, Molly the pyrenean mountain dog, and Mandy the great dane. All are sweet sweet animals with very distinct and hilarious personalities. Molly mostly hangs out down by the guest cottage and barks at stuff, which Mandy follows Frances and I around in the vineyard and is terrified of all other animals, particularly small dogs. Milly is a bit of talker and a bit of a diva, but also likes to be held like a baby and stretch herself over Frances' shoulders like a mink shawl while she works outside.
Glenmara consists of a vineyard, which has 43 rows of plants, including sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. There is a olive grove infront of the house, which produce up to 1 ton of oil per harvest. There is also a small vege garden which provides onions, potatoes, corn, radish, leeks, beans, chard, and other goodies for home consumption.
Frances is so so so sweet, with a stunningly beautiful smile. She is also one hell of a cook- while there i ate salmon, wonton soup and stirfry, veges from the garden, amazing lamb roasts, pasta dishes with homemade sauces, and the most ridiculous array of cookies and cakes- rhubarb pie, cherry pie, pavlova, truffles, the works. One night she said "ah, we're just going to do pizza..." which in my household translates into "ok, who's going to get the pizza out of the freezer?" or squabbling over who should go pick it up at Rosalies in town... well this is not so at the Hayward - Dalton home. Everything was homemade, right down to the olive oil and maranara sauce made from garden tomatoes. the toppings included fresh baby onions from the garden and olives from the grove. so so so good. i could write a whole entry just about the food... but i wont. kind of boring for those who werent experiencing the immense cornucopia. oh, and i also die to hear frances say the word "birds." i can't even describe it- somewhere between "berd" and "boids"... positively hilariously awesome.
Rob is also very sweet, an older man who is a scottish cross between Mr. C and uncle john (my parents might be the only people who get that reference...). He brews his own beer in the garage, and i got to have some of his award winning, delicious porter. he works during the day and tends the vege garden in the afternoons. he is a big fan of frances' cooking, and is always requestion a "chocy cake" which frances made one of my last days there... and which i ate my last morning there. he and Barbara have a hilarious relationship, they just kind of squabble and squak at one another affectionately, with rob giving her a bit of a hard time, which she always tolerates with a smile and dismissal. He has a great great sense of humor.
Barbara is an incredible artist, and her paintings of the area can be found all over the house. she is very quiet and sticks mainly to tending the garden and reading a ridiculous number of books per week. But she definitly has a sharp sense of humor which comes out especially around Rob.
My work there consisted of bud-stripping in the vineyard, weeding in the vege garden and out around the cottage, tying up small vines, and cleaning the cottage for the arrival of a scottish couple who live there a few months out of the year. I also had a day off, saturday, during which all four of us went out to pick cherries, go wine-tasting at mt. riley winery, and eat fish and chips at the club intown. that afternoon i went out to whites bay, a popular beach nearby, and read in the sand. Earlier in the week i went hiking with Frances in the hills above Blenheim, during which we talked about her hobby as a cake decorator- i saw a photo later of one of her cakes (shaped like luggage and a handbag for her son's travel themed wedding) and was totally blown away. talent talent...
Another experience i enjoyed there was learning to drive a stick shift. i stalled about 15 times, i think, and never went out of first gear, except for a terrifying few seconds in 2nd. i also got in the wrong door and found myself sitting on the passenger side looking for the steering wheel (they drive on the left hand side of the road here...)
So after this experience NZ has gained points for me BIG time. i already knew it was beautiful, but now i know a little more and i love it all. i would not mind living here at all... fresh pick-your-own produce, great wine, nice weather, hiking all over the place, and fantastic people. after meeting some more kiwis, i've learned a bit about them in general. at first, they don't provide that sacharrin (sp) sweetness that americans do, that "oh HIIIIII! so GOOOD to MEEET YOOUUUU!", but their smiles and comments are truly genuine. when they invite you to their house, they mean it. it is a refreshing sort of kindness that i could really get used it.
so, i left them all this morning, and can't wait to visit again in a few weeks. now i'm staying in nelson (sunshine capital of NZ) for two days before heading to abel tasman. and i'm back to eating travellers food (ie crying into my can of beans).
cheers!
So, on the 9th of December, i rode the interislander fairy from wellington to picton (beautiful views of the marlborough sounds), and was picked up at the terminal by Frances Dalton, one of the owners of Glenmara, a small vineyard outside Blenheim.
So here's the story.
Glenmara = Glen (gaelic for valley) and Mara (maori for farm). Rob is Scottish and came over to NZ in his 20s, and has worked in the fire service, first in Hamilton (where he met Frances) before moving down here in the 1990s. Frances is Maori and English and is from the northern tip of the north island. She also worked in the fire service for a number of years before retiring to work on the vineyard. Rob has three children from his first marriage- Alison, Nicola, and Stefan, and Frances has two- George and Jos. All are grown up and living in places throughout NZ and Australia. Also in the house is Barbara, Frances' mom.
For pets there is Milly the cat, Molly the pyrenean mountain dog, and Mandy the great dane. All are sweet sweet animals with very distinct and hilarious personalities. Molly mostly hangs out down by the guest cottage and barks at stuff, which Mandy follows Frances and I around in the vineyard and is terrified of all other animals, particularly small dogs. Milly is a bit of talker and a bit of a diva, but also likes to be held like a baby and stretch herself over Frances' shoulders like a mink shawl while she works outside.
Glenmara consists of a vineyard, which has 43 rows of plants, including sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. There is a olive grove infront of the house, which produce up to 1 ton of oil per harvest. There is also a small vege garden which provides onions, potatoes, corn, radish, leeks, beans, chard, and other goodies for home consumption.
Frances is so so so sweet, with a stunningly beautiful smile. She is also one hell of a cook- while there i ate salmon, wonton soup and stirfry, veges from the garden, amazing lamb roasts, pasta dishes with homemade sauces, and the most ridiculous array of cookies and cakes- rhubarb pie, cherry pie, pavlova, truffles, the works. One night she said "ah, we're just going to do pizza..." which in my household translates into "ok, who's going to get the pizza out of the freezer?" or squabbling over who should go pick it up at Rosalies in town... well this is not so at the Hayward - Dalton home. Everything was homemade, right down to the olive oil and maranara sauce made from garden tomatoes. the toppings included fresh baby onions from the garden and olives from the grove. so so so good. i could write a whole entry just about the food... but i wont. kind of boring for those who werent experiencing the immense cornucopia. oh, and i also die to hear frances say the word "birds." i can't even describe it- somewhere between "berd" and "boids"... positively hilariously awesome.
Rob is also very sweet, an older man who is a scottish cross between Mr. C and uncle john (my parents might be the only people who get that reference...). He brews his own beer in the garage, and i got to have some of his award winning, delicious porter. he works during the day and tends the vege garden in the afternoons. he is a big fan of frances' cooking, and is always requestion a "chocy cake" which frances made one of my last days there... and which i ate my last morning there. he and Barbara have a hilarious relationship, they just kind of squabble and squak at one another affectionately, with rob giving her a bit of a hard time, which she always tolerates with a smile and dismissal. He has a great great sense of humor.
Barbara is an incredible artist, and her paintings of the area can be found all over the house. she is very quiet and sticks mainly to tending the garden and reading a ridiculous number of books per week. But she definitly has a sharp sense of humor which comes out especially around Rob.
My work there consisted of bud-stripping in the vineyard, weeding in the vege garden and out around the cottage, tying up small vines, and cleaning the cottage for the arrival of a scottish couple who live there a few months out of the year. I also had a day off, saturday, during which all four of us went out to pick cherries, go wine-tasting at mt. riley winery, and eat fish and chips at the club intown. that afternoon i went out to whites bay, a popular beach nearby, and read in the sand. Earlier in the week i went hiking with Frances in the hills above Blenheim, during which we talked about her hobby as a cake decorator- i saw a photo later of one of her cakes (shaped like luggage and a handbag for her son's travel themed wedding) and was totally blown away. talent talent...
Another experience i enjoyed there was learning to drive a stick shift. i stalled about 15 times, i think, and never went out of first gear, except for a terrifying few seconds in 2nd. i also got in the wrong door and found myself sitting on the passenger side looking for the steering wheel (they drive on the left hand side of the road here...)
So after this experience NZ has gained points for me BIG time. i already knew it was beautiful, but now i know a little more and i love it all. i would not mind living here at all... fresh pick-your-own produce, great wine, nice weather, hiking all over the place, and fantastic people. after meeting some more kiwis, i've learned a bit about them in general. at first, they don't provide that sacharrin (sp) sweetness that americans do, that "oh HIIIIII! so GOOOD to MEEET YOOUUUU!", but their smiles and comments are truly genuine. when they invite you to their house, they mean it. it is a refreshing sort of kindness that i could really get used it.
so, i left them all this morning, and can't wait to visit again in a few weeks. now i'm staying in nelson (sunshine capital of NZ) for two days before heading to abel tasman. and i'm back to eating travellers food (ie crying into my can of beans).
cheers!
catching up! wellington etc
hello hello
so its been a while. after four days in wellington (which i think were the closest thing to a bender that i have ever experienced... more on that in a moment) i settled down on a vineyard outside blenheim with the amazing Dalton - Hayward family. an absolute one of a kind experience with such generous, wonderful people. in order to best summarize my experience of the past week and a half or so, i'm going to write one post on wellington, and then another on the WWOOF experience in Blenheim.
So. Wellington.
This is the capital of new zealand, and is by far the windiest city i've ever been to... anyone who knows me knows that wind is one of my biggest pet peeves. ever seen a cat get stuck in the wind? you know how they get all fluffy and then kind of get this crazy look in their eye? that was me... for four days. so i spent the majority of time in the city, sadly, in the hostel watching bad bad television and nursing brutal hangovers. wellington people know how to party... out of my four nights there, three of them were spent out at the bars until 3 to 5 in the morning. this is not typical alli behavior-- but the party scene can be infectous, and given that the bars were still packed by the time we left at 5 in the am, it was easy to lose track of time.
Highlights of wellington include going out with the lovely quartet of robert (from ireland, a professional poker player- upon learning this, my mom gave me the invaluable advice "oh... well don't give him your credit card."), garry from scotland, and katy from maine. and tom from england, when he was around before running off and getting a job.
also a highlight was going out to dinner my first night with katy and a girl julie from chicago to the restaurant "monsoon poon"... we shared some apps and entrees and a bottle of wine, and it was just lovely. my first time out to a restaurant in NZ... and let me tell you, not having to tip is a welcome treat.
TE PAPA- the most amazing museum i have been to in a long time. 5 floors of amazing, well put together, and completely FREE exhibits. incredible. the dork that i am, i spent loads of time in there wandering around. especially interesting is the outside "bush garden", which has a large lagoon, a makeshift new zealand "bush" (forest) and limestone caves. great for the kiddies. inside i loved the natural science exhibit as well as the cultural exhibits, particularly the life-size recreations of traditional maori buildings. worth avoiding was the surreal junk-shop-come-to-life-display, where you sit through 10 odd minutes of weird images and noise and various items throughout the room "coming to life". weird shit.
that was about it for wellington-- i do recommend visiting it, it is a very nice cafe-culture sort of city.
anyways.
i'm now in the nelson YHA and going to kill the dude playing the out of tune piano in the room. i don't care if you kick ass at the piano, dude, its completely out of tune. knock it off.
so its been a while. after four days in wellington (which i think were the closest thing to a bender that i have ever experienced... more on that in a moment) i settled down on a vineyard outside blenheim with the amazing Dalton - Hayward family. an absolute one of a kind experience with such generous, wonderful people. in order to best summarize my experience of the past week and a half or so, i'm going to write one post on wellington, and then another on the WWOOF experience in Blenheim.
So. Wellington.
This is the capital of new zealand, and is by far the windiest city i've ever been to... anyone who knows me knows that wind is one of my biggest pet peeves. ever seen a cat get stuck in the wind? you know how they get all fluffy and then kind of get this crazy look in their eye? that was me... for four days. so i spent the majority of time in the city, sadly, in the hostel watching bad bad television and nursing brutal hangovers. wellington people know how to party... out of my four nights there, three of them were spent out at the bars until 3 to 5 in the morning. this is not typical alli behavior-- but the party scene can be infectous, and given that the bars were still packed by the time we left at 5 in the am, it was easy to lose track of time.
Highlights of wellington include going out with the lovely quartet of robert (from ireland, a professional poker player- upon learning this, my mom gave me the invaluable advice "oh... well don't give him your credit card."), garry from scotland, and katy from maine. and tom from england, when he was around before running off and getting a job.
also a highlight was going out to dinner my first night with katy and a girl julie from chicago to the restaurant "monsoon poon"... we shared some apps and entrees and a bottle of wine, and it was just lovely. my first time out to a restaurant in NZ... and let me tell you, not having to tip is a welcome treat.
TE PAPA- the most amazing museum i have been to in a long time. 5 floors of amazing, well put together, and completely FREE exhibits. incredible. the dork that i am, i spent loads of time in there wandering around. especially interesting is the outside "bush garden", which has a large lagoon, a makeshift new zealand "bush" (forest) and limestone caves. great for the kiddies. inside i loved the natural science exhibit as well as the cultural exhibits, particularly the life-size recreations of traditional maori buildings. worth avoiding was the surreal junk-shop-come-to-life-display, where you sit through 10 odd minutes of weird images and noise and various items throughout the room "coming to life". weird shit.
that was about it for wellington-- i do recommend visiting it, it is a very nice cafe-culture sort of city.
anyways.
i'm now in the nelson YHA and going to kill the dude playing the out of tune piano in the room. i don't care if you kick ass at the piano, dude, its completely out of tune. knock it off.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
wellywellywellington
hi all
i just arrived in wellington today after a five hour drive from tongariro national park... i stayed at "The Park" lodge for an extra two nights, it was absolutely rockin. the third night was free, and somehow i ended up in a 6-person room all by myself with my own bathroom. i had a swell time relaxing and hanging out, but was definitly ready to move on by the end for a little more action.
this is the website for the lodge, i highly highly recommend it!!
http://www.the-park.co.nz/
anyways, while there i met a girl named Katy who is from Camden, Maine and is pretty much my long-lost twin. we look exactly alike (blondish curly hair, blue eyes, big smiles, etc), are here for the same amount of time and doing the same thing (stray tour and wwoofing), have the same favorite author, etc etc the list goes on. so basically she's pretty rad in a spooky sort of way. we're gonna try and meet up for some multi-day hikes in the south island.
for the next two nights i'm staying at base auckland, in their "sanctuary" wing, which is a females only wing with nice bathrooms, big showers, free fluffy towels, and free aveda hair products. pretty sweet. tomorrow i'm going to check out the Te Papa museum, New Zealand's largest museum. I will probably be there all day, since i am a huge freakin nerd. since i'm really into links today, here's the link to the website:
http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/Tepapa/English/
my most recent bus driver was a hoot, btw, his name was Baggins and he was this sort of portly fellow with a mohalk on the side of his head. today on the drive we stopped in a town famous for its gumboot (rubber boot) competitions and had a go at it ourselves... team america won (f*ck yeah... censored for family members...) Then we went to a town called Bulls which is really the pun capital of NZ. the waste bins say "be respons-a-bull" on them. The info center has "inform-a-bull" on it, the second hand book store is "afford-a-bull" etc etc. it was intense.
Quick interesting note about NZ-- all their towns are pretty much "the capital of something" and therefore the majority of them have large central statues of their most famous thing. so far i have seen a giant carrot, soft drink, and gumboot. many more await.
alright i'm off. i will update soon, once exciting things happen.
cheeeeeeers
alli
i just arrived in wellington today after a five hour drive from tongariro national park... i stayed at "The Park" lodge for an extra two nights, it was absolutely rockin. the third night was free, and somehow i ended up in a 6-person room all by myself with my own bathroom. i had a swell time relaxing and hanging out, but was definitly ready to move on by the end for a little more action.
this is the website for the lodge, i highly highly recommend it!!
http://www.the-park.co.nz/
anyways, while there i met a girl named Katy who is from Camden, Maine and is pretty much my long-lost twin. we look exactly alike (blondish curly hair, blue eyes, big smiles, etc), are here for the same amount of time and doing the same thing (stray tour and wwoofing), have the same favorite author, etc etc the list goes on. so basically she's pretty rad in a spooky sort of way. we're gonna try and meet up for some multi-day hikes in the south island.
for the next two nights i'm staying at base auckland, in their "sanctuary" wing, which is a females only wing with nice bathrooms, big showers, free fluffy towels, and free aveda hair products. pretty sweet. tomorrow i'm going to check out the Te Papa museum, New Zealand's largest museum. I will probably be there all day, since i am a huge freakin nerd. since i'm really into links today, here's the link to the website:
http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/Tepapa/English/
my most recent bus driver was a hoot, btw, his name was Baggins and he was this sort of portly fellow with a mohalk on the side of his head. today on the drive we stopped in a town famous for its gumboot (rubber boot) competitions and had a go at it ourselves... team america won (f*ck yeah... censored for family members...) Then we went to a town called Bulls which is really the pun capital of NZ. the waste bins say "be respons-a-bull" on them. The info center has "inform-a-bull" on it, the second hand book store is "afford-a-bull" etc etc. it was intense.
Quick interesting note about NZ-- all their towns are pretty much "the capital of something" and therefore the majority of them have large central statues of their most famous thing. so far i have seen a giant carrot, soft drink, and gumboot. many more await.
alright i'm off. i will update soon, once exciting things happen.
cheeeeeeers
alli
Saturday, December 1, 2007
solitude
i just finished my book, Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, which I really enjoyed reading while travelling... its three stories woven together, and every time i picked it up and read a chapter i felt like i was catching up with old friends...
anyways, this is the last paragraph, which i found has significance for me on my travels, since it is often possible to feel lonely, even when surrounded by people... i haven't feel too lonely yet, so this is a good mantra to remember:
"Solitude is a human presumption. Every quiet step is thunder to beetle life underfoot, a tug of impalpable thread on the web pulling mate to mate and predator to prey, a beginning or an end. Every choice is a world made new for the chosen."
this provides me with a little bit of comfort being out in the big old bad world by myself, but not by myself at all.
anyways, this is the last paragraph, which i found has significance for me on my travels, since it is often possible to feel lonely, even when surrounded by people... i haven't feel too lonely yet, so this is a good mantra to remember:
"Solitude is a human presumption. Every quiet step is thunder to beetle life underfoot, a tug of impalpable thread on the web pulling mate to mate and predator to prey, a beginning or an end. Every choice is a world made new for the chosen."
this provides me with a little bit of comfort being out in the big old bad world by myself, but not by myself at all.
tongariro pictures
pictures are up! finallyyyy...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020165&l=27624&id=14600837
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020165&l=27624&id=14600837
beautiful tongariro...
hi all!
i'm currently holed up at the Tongariro National Park hostel, which is by far the nicest place i have stayed so far... gorgeous views all around, a big common area with a fireplace, great food, and 6-person ensuite dorms with kitchens and bathrooms. oh and a hot tub. so i'm in heaven right now, and might just have to stay three nights...
so yesterday i completed the 18km tongariro crossing, one of new zealand's "great walks" that takes you over rough volcanic terrain before dipping back into subtropical forests. it was absolutely stunning-- the pictures are going up on facebook and should be all ready by the end of this post. i tried doing a flickr account, but it takes ages to upload, so i dont know what i'm going to do about that... anyways...
the walk was really really exhausting-- not so much challenging as tiring, by the end of it i just wanted to chop my feet off. but it was also by far the coolest thing i've done yet. worth every sore muscle. i was hiking with 6 girls-- Nicole from Germany, Lindsay from Colorado, Julia from Switzerland, Anne and Annika from Sweden, and Perrin from France. We all got along really well and had a great time chatting away and hiking.
the days leading up to the crossing i was staying in lake taupo, nz's biggest lake which is easily the size of singapore. it was absolutely beautiful, and i pondered staying a bit longer and trying to find work on a farm somewhere in Acacia Bay... i decided to move on though. I took a sail around the lake in the Barnaby sailboat with Anne and Annika and it was absolutely lovely, it was so nice to be out on water again, and the size of the lake makes it feel almost like being on the ocean.
So, speaking of moving on-- I've found work on a farm near Picton, right where the ferry from Wellington (the capital of NZ, on the north island) lands on the south island. Its within the Marlborough region, also known as NZ's wine country. So naturally I'll be working on a vineyard, although given that it is not wine season, i'll be doing more general gardening and such. So here is the blurb on the farm from the WWOOF guidebook:
Glenmara:
"Vineyard, olive grove, vege garden, farm/homestay.
Our two generation family (Rob, Frances and Barbara - Frances' Mum) live 15 mins north east of Blenheim only 1km from the seaside. Our property and surrounds were originally sheep farming but the country side now supports mainly grape growing. We enjoy providing food from the garden for the table although we are not vegetarian and welcome non smokers. Help is required on the farm as well as general maintenance around the property. You will have to be happy with a large dog in the house and on the property. We have a cottage for home stay but generally Wwoofers will be hosted in the main house.
Sustainable vineyard and olive grove practices, organic vegetable garden."
So sounds pretty good, I'll be there from the 8th to the 18th of December before hopping back on to my stray bus tour in Picton and travelling to Abel Tasman and south along the west coast. My goal is to be in Franz Josef for xmas (to treat myself to a glacier walk for christmas...) and I've already booked my hostel in Queenstown for New Years-- maybe a bunjee to start off 2008? We'll see.
Anyways, i'm off to go cook some lunch. Sorry again about any errors or typos...
much love to everyone back home!!
love,
Alli
i'm currently holed up at the Tongariro National Park hostel, which is by far the nicest place i have stayed so far... gorgeous views all around, a big common area with a fireplace, great food, and 6-person ensuite dorms with kitchens and bathrooms. oh and a hot tub. so i'm in heaven right now, and might just have to stay three nights...
so yesterday i completed the 18km tongariro crossing, one of new zealand's "great walks" that takes you over rough volcanic terrain before dipping back into subtropical forests. it was absolutely stunning-- the pictures are going up on facebook and should be all ready by the end of this post. i tried doing a flickr account, but it takes ages to upload, so i dont know what i'm going to do about that... anyways...
the walk was really really exhausting-- not so much challenging as tiring, by the end of it i just wanted to chop my feet off. but it was also by far the coolest thing i've done yet. worth every sore muscle. i was hiking with 6 girls-- Nicole from Germany, Lindsay from Colorado, Julia from Switzerland, Anne and Annika from Sweden, and Perrin from France. We all got along really well and had a great time chatting away and hiking.
the days leading up to the crossing i was staying in lake taupo, nz's biggest lake which is easily the size of singapore. it was absolutely beautiful, and i pondered staying a bit longer and trying to find work on a farm somewhere in Acacia Bay... i decided to move on though. I took a sail around the lake in the Barnaby sailboat with Anne and Annika and it was absolutely lovely, it was so nice to be out on water again, and the size of the lake makes it feel almost like being on the ocean.
So, speaking of moving on-- I've found work on a farm near Picton, right where the ferry from Wellington (the capital of NZ, on the north island) lands on the south island. Its within the Marlborough region, also known as NZ's wine country. So naturally I'll be working on a vineyard, although given that it is not wine season, i'll be doing more general gardening and such. So here is the blurb on the farm from the WWOOF guidebook:
Glenmara:
"Vineyard, olive grove, vege garden, farm/homestay.
Our two generation family (Rob, Frances and Barbara - Frances' Mum) live 15 mins north east of Blenheim only 1km from the seaside. Our property and surrounds were originally sheep farming but the country side now supports mainly grape growing. We enjoy providing food from the garden for the table although we are not vegetarian and welcome non smokers. Help is required on the farm as well as general maintenance around the property. You will have to be happy with a large dog in the house and on the property. We have a cottage for home stay but generally Wwoofers will be hosted in the main house.
Sustainable vineyard and olive grove practices, organic vegetable garden."
So sounds pretty good, I'll be there from the 8th to the 18th of December before hopping back on to my stray bus tour in Picton and travelling to Abel Tasman and south along the west coast. My goal is to be in Franz Josef for xmas (to treat myself to a glacier walk for christmas...) and I've already booked my hostel in Queenstown for New Years-- maybe a bunjee to start off 2008? We'll see.
Anyways, i'm off to go cook some lunch. Sorry again about any errors or typos...
much love to everyone back home!!
love,
Alli
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