Loading...
Maps
People
Photos
My Stuff
Kiwis and Kangaroos
a travel blog by
exumenius
view all 438 photos for this trip
Show Oldest First
Show Newest First
A Piece of New Zealand Dies - Night 93
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
Arguably the most famous Kiwi in all
Lake Wanaka
of the world passed away this morning. Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Everest (along with the Sherpa Tenzing) and the first to drive a motor vehicle to the South Pole, dead at the age of 88. According to many, he exemplified all that New Zealanders stand for; determination, strength, and the ability to laugh at oneself. A hero for this small island nation if ever there was one.
Wanaka from Mt. Iron
While the nation mourned, I relaxed at the beach. I also shopped. Over the last three days my pair of shorts has suffered a rip pocket, a torn crotch and a large stain of tuna juice…it was time for some new cloth. I stumbled upon one of the most interesting pieces of public art I’ve ever seen on my walk to the store. Along its waterfront walkway the City of Wanaka has placed 2000 one-foot square ceramic tiles, one for each year starting at the birth of
The Sidewalk of History
Christ up to the year 2000. Major events have been added on the corresponding years by the city, while businesses and private donors have added minor events in the intervening years. Basically every tile from 1800 on is full; however, many large stretches prior to 1000 remain empty. Something must have happened in 513, 934 and 1429. A stroll down the sidewalk has been turned into an Intro to History Lesson.
In the afternoon I decided to honor the fallen adventurer with a hike of my own. Granted Mt. Iron is in no way as glorious or difficult as Everest, but damn it was hot today, so thus I felt like my act was every bit as heroic, especially since I did it without the help of a Sherpa. After the perilous hour long hike, I stopped at Wanaka’s favorite tourist trap, PuzzlingWorld. Created by local Stuart Landsborough in 1973, the original attraction was focused on a large human maze. Since that time
PuzzlingWorld
a hologram hall, tilted rooms, and the eerie Hall of Following Faces have been added. They’ve also cashed in on the Lord of the Rings craze by adding a room that shows how the movie directors created the apparent height differences between the hobbits and the men. The souvenir shop was full of M.C. Escher etchings and Mensa books. In all honesty, it was a well spent $8 and I have to admit that the maze was difficult.
Sunset over Lake Wanaka
What I Learned Today: Life is all about perspective. While PuzzlingWorld is basically an amusement park for adults it secretly harbors a deeper life lesson; that is “Everything depends on how you look at it.” In the Hall of Following Faces, Einstein’s unmistakable mug follows you around the room (or so it seems); however it is his genius regarding the theory of relativity, both in the world of physics and in everyday life, that is in fact the most important realization of the moment. Our attitudes are more important than our situations.
written by
exumenius
on January 11, 2008
from
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
from the travel blog:
Kiwis and Kangaroos
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Arriving in Queenstown - Night 94
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
The magic bus was not set to roll through Wanaka
The Purple Cow
until 2pm, so I spent the morning relaxing at the Purple Cow. Reading in the sun with a cooling breeze coming down from the snowfields of Mt. Aspriring and across Lake Wanaka time seems to float on by. I’d be lying if I told you that there weren’t times during a trip of this length when things may seem a bit boring, but what are the alternatives, what else would I be doing? I’d much rather feel bored by an alpine lake in the middle of a New Zealand summer than in my cubicle amidst the dreary gray of a Seattle winter.
The Original Bungy
Despite all this, my mind wasn’t perfectly at ease. There was a nagging feeling of anxiety over the bungy jump that I was planning on doing on the way to Queenstown. Upon boarding the bus our driver told us that do to extreme volume at the jump center we may not get to go. We arrived at the Kawarua Bridge/A.J. Hackett Bungy Jump Center around 4:30. By this time I was calm and had accepted that I was just going to do it. Swaggering up to the counter with my pride on display, I was shot down like an opening day duck – all the spots for the afternoon were booked. Not surprising, considering it was a Saturday during absolute peak season. I may or may not have time to make it back out during my stay in Queenstown. No big loss I guess it is a quite expensive 2 seconds of freefall ($200 once you include the DVD).
As we pulled into Queenstown, it looked eerily like a scene from Panama City, FL in the middle of March. Drunken teens staggered this way and that, gaggles of girls in short shorts and huge sunglasses warily jaywalked enroute to another bar. Welcome to Queenstown, New Zealand’s number one tourist destination. Compounding the fact that it was a Saturday during peak season, there was also a large 7-man rugby tournament going on as well. The city was a madhouse and it was only 6pm.
The last ones off the bus, it was nearly 7pm by the time I checked into the Pinewood resort. In front of me in line were two girls and a guy wearing a UW-Lacrosse shirt. I struck up a conversation with them and eventually they asked me what town I was from. When I replied, “Bonduel” they just laughed and pointed at the payphone in the corner where Lucas Rank was busy trying to call home. As it turns out he and 19 other UW-Lacrosse kids are here on a one-month adventure vacation. After a bit of story sharing, he gave me the bad news: the Packer game would not be televised in this town. Apparently he and another guy went to every bar in town and asked if they would be showing NFL playoffs, all replied negatively.
That evening I met a few people from the bus at the Red Rock Bar. As I briefly alluded to earlier, there is some serious talent in this town. Down the west coast of New Zealand we were consistently playing with minor league (AA at best) quality, but this was an immediate step straight through to the All-Star game. To be completely honest, for every hot girl there were three drunken guys in trucker hats and wife-beaters fresh in from the Nevis jump. We enjoyed a few beers and everyone headed home early, tired from a long drive and needing some sleep for the big plans tomorrow. Queenstown is one of those places that is hard to pull yourself from the bar, but equally hard to justify spending the whole next day hungover.
written by
exumenius
on January 12, 2008
from
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
from the travel blog:
Kiwis and Kangaroos
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Up the Ben Lomond Trail - Night 95
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
The Remarkables
After a bit of running around town I finally managed to come up with a map of local day hikes to be done. My preference was to get high up into The Remarkables, the eponymous, craggy range across the lake from town; however, I was informed by the guides at both track transport places that they don’t do summer runs to those locations and I would have to hitch a ride with some climbers. I rated the possibility of this happening fairly low so I settled for an assault on Ben Lomond peak directly above Queenstown. The trail switchbacked through the thick pine forest to a point just above the Luge Park and Gondola lookout. From here on out it emerged from the tree into a
Climbing on the Ben Lomond Trail
sort of scrub-brush, typical fauna for an area above the treeline. Offering great views of the Ben Lomond peak, the trail followed the ridge straight to the main saddle. Thankfully it was a cloudy day, or the sun would have been vicious. I reached the Saddle in good time and was fully prepared for an attempt at the 5,400 foot peak (Queenstown sits at just over 1,200 feet elevation) but the weather had other ideas. Just as I set foot onto the peak trail it began to rain. Fearing an absolute downpour on the ridge to the summit, I turned back down the mountain. I met an elderly trio decked out in rain gear who looked exhausted but were determined to make it to the saddle regardless of weather.
On the way down I took a detour on an auxiliary trail that followed the precipe hanging out over the city, giving way to some fantastic views. By this time the rain had relented so I stop for a quick lunch. I continued down through the hang-gliding launch, the Luge Track and the amazingly modern, glass and steel visitor’s center located at the terminus of the gondola. Complete with café and gift shop, I finally found a decent Aotearoa stocking hat for less than $40.
Later in the afternoon on of the guys in my
High Above Queenstown
room, David, and I went down to the Rugby field to catch some of the 7 on 7 action. Regular rugby is played with 15 players, so this was a ‘sprint’ version. Ten minutes halves and the spread out field meant a much faster-paced game and a surprising amount of scoring. Luckily David was British so I had someone to explain the rules and strategies to me. A few more games and I think I’ll have mastered the art of watching rugby (as I am already a prolific beer drinker and sports critic, two of the most important qualities of any rugby fan). I caught a movie, I Am Legend, in the evening. On the way home there was a crazy street performer juggling flaming batons, balancing on an elevated board of nails and begging for money all at the same time. While other rich tourist types filled his collection bag with $5 and $10 notes, he got nothing from me but a round of applause and a smile.
What I Learned Today: Don’t forget your damned rain coat on a hike, for if you do, no matter what the forecast it will certainly rain.
7 on 7 Rugby Action
written by
exumenius
on January 13, 2008
from
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
from the travel blog:
Kiwis and Kangaroos
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Rained Out - Night 96
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
The weather this morning was dour, perfectly
Kawarua Bridge
matching my mood. Despite the early night and plenty of sleep I felt incredibly sluggish and ornery. Travel seems to amplify my moods, both up and down. I took a long walk along the lake to set my mind at ease. The destination was the old (though still used) Kawarau Bridge. Steel frame with wooden planks covering it, the one lane bridge is the main crossing of the river and lies on one of the main highways on the South Island. Standing on the pedestrian strip as large trucks cross you feel as if it could fall apart at any moment.
Queenstown from Across the Water
After I returned to town, I spent some time picking up supplies for my upcoming Kepler trip. A cooking pan, some freeze dried meals, and a waterproof bag liner for starters. Post-lunch an absolute downpour began and washed out my plans to go back to the Kawarua Bungy site. Twice now I’ve been denied my jump. It looks like the forces of fate are trying to tell me something. The rain did not abate until nearly 7pm. I holed up in an internet café for the better part of the afternoon laboriously updating my journal and booking hostels for the remainder of my
New Zealand
trip. In the evening our small common room was very busy amidst a flurry of multiculturalism. At one point the room held 4 Jewish girls (speaking Hebrew), two poles, two Aussies, a Japanese, Swede, Brit and me, the lone American.
What I Learned Today: Hebrew sounds like nothing else. I can usually guess what language is being spoken, or at least the family of language, by the look of the speaker and the tone of the speech, but when the four American looking girls where jabbering away in Hebrew I was completely lost.
written by
exumenius
on January 14, 2008
from
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
from the travel blog:
Kiwis and Kangaroos
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Milford Sound - Night 97
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
My bus for the Milford Sound left the Pinewood Resort at 8:00. We wove around town to various hostels and hotels, eventually filling the bus with daytrippers (not the Beatles’ kind). The Milford Sound is not all that far from Queenstown, as the crow flies, however jagged peaks, retreating glaciers and Lake Wakatipu all stand in the way. Thus the actual drive to the Sound takes almost five hours. The journey took us through the small town of Te Anau, where I’ll be disembarking on the way back through for my three day Kepler Track hike. Along the way we crossed through miles and miles of farm land, all harboring the famous New Zealand sheep. It was here that I saw my first live black sheep. I don’t know if he was just particularly dirty or what, but his wool was nearly as dark as night.
Mitre Peak
In Te Anau we stopped for a brunch/bathroom
On e of Many Waterfalls
break and were back underway by 10:45. Shortly after leaving Te Anau we entered the Fjordlands World Heritage Area, 3 million acres of relatively untouched 6,000 mountains and temperate rain forest. The drive took us up the Elington Valley, a wide flat river plain. The valley itself is relatively new, geologically speaking, and still bears remnant glacial scars such as striations and drumlins from the last ice age. Soon we came upon the Homer Saddle, a
The Homer Tunnel
sheer 3,000 rock wall topped with snowfields. Back in the 1920s an engineer by the name of Homer (his surname) had the bright idea of tunneling through this massive slab of granite and gneiss. The 1930s brought the depression and suddenly, with FDR/New Deal fervor, the New Zealand government pumped money into infrastructure projects to put the unemployed men back to work and as a result work on the Homer Tunnel commenced. A few cave-ins and a World War later it was finally completed in 1953, paving the way for vehicular traffic to the Milford Sound. The rock is so hard here that the tunnel is not capped with concrete, it is simply a 1.5 kilometer, 3.8 meter high hole in the mountain.
Exiting the tunnel you can literally feel the air get warmer and moister; we were now in the rain forest. Twenty minutes later the sound came into view. Simply breathtaking. It wasn’t the perfect sunny day that we had hoped for as a scattering of clouds hung in the sky. As they roll in off the ocean the clouds are brutally ripped to shreds by the sharp mountain peaks giving the whole scene a certain air
On the Boat
of danger and mystique. We boarded the boat and set off on the two-hour trip. Since it had rained hard the last two days, dozens upon dozens of small waterfalls were dumping streams of run-off into the sound from hundreds of feet up. In other areas the rock rises 2,000 feet directly out of the water as vertically straight up as a New York skyscraper (only twice as high). It gives you the strange feeling that the Sound itself is bottomless, that the chasm continues on into the very bowels of the earth. The whole scene, quite frankly, needs to be seen to be believed.
The Milford Sound
The Milford Sound is so long and narrow and receives so much fresh water runoff that the top 10 feet or so is composed of fresh water, which floats on the salt water due to its lower density. The floating freshwater is stained by all the tannins in the soil and leaves a dark sheen to the Sound, known as the Tea effect. After the Cruise everyone hustled back to the bus for the long ride home. I checked into my hostel in Te Anau, made some dinner and packed my bags for my three day hike that begins tomorrow.
What I Learned Today: Sometimes the act of trying to take the perfect photo ruins the actual experience. After snapping off a plethora of photos during the Milford Sound cruise I finally had to just put the camera in my pocket. In trying to capture for everyone else exactly what it looked like, I was wasting the experience…so I apologize, but if you want to know you’ll just have to come see it (not that any photo could do the Sound justice anyway).
written by
exumenius
on January 15, 2008
from
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
from the travel blog:
Kiwis and Kangaroos
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Kepler Track, Day One - Night 98
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
I began the three day Kepler Track hike today.
The Beginning
Arriving too late last night, I had to wait until the Department of Conservation office opened at 8:30am in order to pick up my hut permits. The office was stuffed with a large, older crowd of hikers milling around awaiting transport to the trailhead; my hiking companions I assumed. I, on the other hand, had decided to walk to the start, a quick 45 minute warm-up march from Te Anau.
The Limestone Cliffs
At the control gates (basically a dam) that hold back the waters of Lake Te Anau the trail began amidst a complete lack of fanfare. The first two hours (according to the DOC) was a flat run along the lake. A pleasant walk, it meandered through old growth forest along a soft, almost bouncy, well-worn trail. About half way through I began to pass the first of many of the large group. Quite luckily I caught the main contingent during their morning tea at Brod Bay and thus avoided an additional 40 “excuse mes” on the way up.” At Brod Bay the trail turned inland and began to switchback its way up the hill. After passing some limestone cliffs, suddenly the trees end and the sub-alpine terrain begins. Being nearly noon, I took advantage of the last bit of shade – it was a perfectly sunny day – and had a brief lunch just below the treeline. Forty minutes later I stood on the deck of the Luxmore Hut, the first arrival for the day.
Being the first one to a hut has one obvious
The Luxmore Hut
advantage: you get to choose the best bed in the place. I settled in and then took a brief side adventure to the Luxmore Caves, just a kilometer away. Lacking a flashlight I only explored as far in as the light shown. On my way out a pair of guys from Washington D.C. showed up; the only other Americans in the Hut. In fact, checking the visitor registry I was the ninth hiker from the U.S. to stay there this year. Strange considering we were outnumbered by people from such small countries as Poland and Israel. In the afternoon I lay down in the tall tussock grass for a much deserved nap.
The View
Cooking the evening meal was a challenge. The large contingent of old hikers from Auckland had literally taken over the kitchen. Sitting down to eat, I discovered that there were 41 of them (out of 50 total people in the hut). The other eight hikers were a couple from Switzerland, a couple from Denmark, two English women and the two American guys. It was a group organized by the Lions Club, or something, in Auckland, so naturally they were an aged group, but quite friendly. During the meal, one of the oldest members of their group passed out and fell off his bench. No one seemed too worried; apparently he had done this before. Around 10pm everyone sort of sauntered off to bed, tired from day.
Total Distance Covered: 16.8 km (10.58 miles)
What I Learned Today: The New Zealand Department of Conservation’s hike time estimates are as flawed, if not more so, that those of the Wellington Council. I think even the 70-year old ladies beat the estimates given in the brochure and on the signs.
written by
exumenius
on January 16, 2008
from
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
from the travel blog:
Kiwis and Kangaroos
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Kepler Track, Day Two - Night 99
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
I awoke to a scattering of snores and groans.
Walking through a Cloud
Combined with the howl of the wind and the pounding rain on the tin roof the whole auditory scene was a symphony of agony. The forecast had been for rain early, and rain it did. Except for a few brave (or foolish) souls, most of us waited it out until 8:30 when the warden came down to address the group. Her report said that it should clear by noon and she suggested we get underway, cautiously though.
In the Emergency Shelter
Rain today was especially bad for two reasons: 1) nearly the entirety of today’s hike is exposed ridgeline (at 5,000 feet, no less) offering no protection from foul weather; 2) nearly the entirety of today’s hike is exposed ridgeline offering amazing views in all directions. The first hour and a half was pure pain. The wind blew at a constant 40kpm, gusting up to probably 70kmh, some of the worst weather I have ever been out in. The rain came down from all directions, at times it even seemed to blow uphill. To test this, I spit and it did indeed disappear uphill over the ridge. The reason being that the clouds come through the lake valley and then have to go up and over the ridge, taking rain, spit and everything with it. For a bit the visibility was down to 10 meters or so, just like driving in a Wisconsin
The Iris Burn Falls
snowstorm. Eventually the clouds cleared, but the wind howled on. I stopped briefly at the two emergency shelter huts to grab some food and water and enjoy the relative peace and quiet of the indoors.
By the time the trail began to descend the ridge into the valley the sun had come out, making it a rather nice, albeit blustery, day. The way down is always the worst for me, especially with a pack on. Every step tests the patellar tendon and the thigh muscles. Eventually I was back into the beech forest and arrived at the Iris Burn Hut around 1pm, again the first one home. Dumping my pack, I made lunch and then headed to the Iris Burn waterfall some 1.5 kilometers down a side track. A good diversion, I also tried to take a short bath but the freezing water relegated my hygienic heroics to a simple splash here and there of ice water. It would have been nice to lie by the falls on the rocks for a bit but the sandflies made this an impossibility.
Down the Ridge
Nothing much happened in the evening as everyone was sequestered inside due to the flies. Bedtime again coincided with the sunset.
Total Distance Covered: 14.6 km (9.19 miles)
What I Learned Today: Sandfly bites are at least thrice as painful as those from mosquitos. And itch like you wouldn’t believe.
written by
exumenius
on January 17, 2008
from
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
from the travel blog:
Kiwis and Kangaroos
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Kepler Track, Day Three - Night 100
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
I left the Iris Burn hut around 7:30, with the sun
Sunrise in the Valley
shining beautifully on the mountain high above the valley. Today’s walk was primarily flat, following the Iris Burn River the entire way down to its mouth in at Lake Manapouri. Along the way I passed the Big Slip, an area where a massive landslide reshaped the valley back in 1984. On and on I walked until I came to the Motorua Hut along the shores of Lake Manapouri. For those who were doing the 4-day walk option this would be accommodation for the night; for
The Deep Forest
those of us passing through to the Rainbow Reach endpoint it made for a great lunch stop. I arrived around 11, ate a quick lunch and took an hour long nap on the perfectly deserted beach. Refreshed, I knocked out the final 90 minutes to the huge suspension bridge with renewed vigor. The shuttle bus wasn’t due until 3 so I laid in the shade, took my boots off and enjoyed another gorgeous blue sky day in the Southland.
The Motarua Beach
Getting back to town I was exhausted and decided to dine out for a change. Nearly all of my meals this month have been either home cooked or, when on the trail, freeze dried, backcountry kits (the remainder have been take out kebabs or sandwiches). I was trying to think of the last time I had eaten at a sit-down restaurant, I believe it was December 14th, nearly five weeks ago. Desperately craving Chinese I was relieved to find three such restaurants in town. Two of then didn’t open for 30 minutes, so the choice was dictated solely by my overwhelming hunger. I spent a bit of time reorganizing and catching up on life and fell to sleep well before sunset (10pm).
Total Distance Covered: 22.2 km (13.98 miles)
The End
What I Learned Today: There is no such thing as good Chinese food in New Zealand, even at a place where the menus were in Chinese first and English second and was filled with Chinese patrons. Disappointing…how I crave P.F. Chang’s, Panda Express, or even some Safeway General Tso’s Chicken.
written by
exumenius
on January 18, 2008
from
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
from the travel blog:
Kiwis and Kangaroos
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Relaxing in Te Anau - Night 101
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
There was nothing on today’s agenda, save
Te Anau YHA
laundry and journal catchup, and that was fine with me. So long as I didn’t have to put on boots and 25lb pack it would be a good day. I explored the town of Te Anau, hung out at the beach, and grilled some delicious venison sausages for dinner. Deer are an introduced species here and for years were simply culled as they are a pest. More recently, deer farming has sprung up in many places and as a result venison is readily available in all grocery stores right alongside beef, chicken, pork and mutton. Prices are similar to beef and lamb. The taste is excellent, the meat lean.
One of my roommates turned out to be a friendly 28-year old guy from Maine, Aaron, who is currently in the Air Force stationed on the small island of Diego Garcia. He had just returned from the Heaphy Track and was set to do the Kepler Track tomorrow, so naturally we had a lot in common. We hit the town, or rather had a few beers at the pizza place, and returned to hang out at the hostel. Later in the evening we were joined by a contingent of girls from the University of Delaware who are studying in Christchurch. Quiet hours begin at 10pm on the back deck and at 10:00 and 2 seconds an elderly German woman came downstairs and chastised us in 6,000 words on how we were too loud. She then proceeded to give us a detailed explanation of the physics of sound waves and the location of her room and how our noise was affecting a Japanese woman in her room’s ability to sleep, followed by some pointing actions and a lot of head nodding. We agreed to be quiet but she just kept on going about noise and quiet hours and her roommate. Finally she ran out of wind and then calmly asked us which way to the laundry room because “dis place has zoo many doorz und I get lost easy.” Try as we might, we could not contain our laughter, which only made the noise worse. Eventually we all headed to bed and I made a promise to go out with the Delaware girls once in Christchurch. Their class is 28 girls and 1 guy…..it didn’t take much to convince me to sign onto that trip.
What I Learned Today: Diego Garcia is a small island 1,000 south of India, on which the United States and Britain currently have a joint military base. The local inhabitants were brutally removed by the British shortly after WWII and are currently living a life of abject poverty in Mauritius.
written by
exumenius
on January 19, 2008
from
Te Anau
,
New Zealand
from the travel blog:
Kiwis and Kangaroos
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
The Bottom of the World - Night 102
Invercargill
,
New Zealand
The Ancient Watertower
Bright and early - 7 am to be exact - my short bus from Te Anau left. Our driver Simon was a proper tourism industry Kiwi, that is, he had the crazy hair and disheveled look of a man on a permanent holiday. At the beginning there were just two of us, so I rode shotgun as Simon zig-zagged around the many corners, waving and honking at random people along the way. We picked up a few more passengers and rolled into Invercargill around 10am. From Te Anau to Invercargill is a two and a half hour drive (we took a ½ hour tea break, of course) originating in the hilly Fjordlands and ending in the table flat plains of the far south end.
Invercargill is located in the alluvial delta of
The World's Steepest Steps
the Oreti River, so when I say it is flat, I mean it is flat, like Iowa flat. The highest point in town is a mere 9 meters above sea level, the rest of the town probably sits at 6. Everyone I’ve talked to has said that I won’t like Invercargill because there are no tourist things to do. What they didn’t understand it that that is the sole reason I stopped here. After awhile you get tired of the endless advertisements for jet boats and skydives, similar looking German tourists in campervans, and, of course, the ridiculous prices in the tourist towns. The entirety of my west coast journey had been spent in places that are “on” the map, so to say, in New Zealand. Places that everyone, or nearly everyone, stops at while they are here. As a result, I have yet to have a New Zealander as a roommate in a hostel and apart from bus drivers, have met very few of them (the aged hikers from Auckland aside).
Invercargill, population around 50,000, has a decent history of industry and shipping and further functions as the regional hub of the Southland. Population, however, is declining as much of the shipping industry, originally spurred on by gold mining and lumber exports, has begun to dry up. As I walked through town in the afternoon I could tell this was a real place. Mothers much younger than I pushed their strollers down the street as the goth-looking fathers hung a few steps behind seemingly embarrassed at their lot in life, teenagers cruised the strip in decked-out 2002 Hondas practically begging for something to do, a gathering of old women listened to their husbands’ band play in a park rotunda, struggling to hold on to one last vestige of the good ole days. Yes, Invercargill was a real, live town complete with litter, police, abandoned buildings, and most shockingly, actual New Zealanders; the absolute opposite of most of the plastercast tourist towns you see along the way. I thought to myself, I could be in any old industrial town in the Ohio right now, save for the funny looking Holden trucks.
My day out in Invercargill consisted of visiting the Otago Museum and Art Gallery and then on to the Water Tower for a panoramic view of the area. On my return I cruised up through the Queens garden, a large park in the middle of town. Even at 47 degrees south latitude the original founders just couldn’t seem to resist naming the primary feature of the city after a dying monarch 12,000 miles away.
A Game of Cricket
Perhaps it is something bred into us Americans, but I can’t help but look down upon the consistent reverence given to the royals down here (though I guess we Americans have simply replaced the royal family with corporate names, Miller Park, Quest Field…). It was a gorgeous day out once again, so I lay down in the park to watch a cricket game. I left a half an hour later, no closer to understanding this enigma of an event, although I did see someone actually hit a ball past the fence line, resulting in what I imagine was a home run of sorts.
I am staying at the Tautara Lodge, on three story apartment building that has been converted into a backpacker’s hostel. Unfortunately, no wireless internet was available at the hostel and according to the desk worker (who was a real live New Zealander from Invercargill) the only place in town with it was Starbucks. My subsequent research confirmed this fact, and since they charge $10 an hour, I was happy to spend a few days without it. I guess affordable wireless is too much to ask in a town that boasts the southernmost McDonald’s in the world, or so I was told. (I would later find out that it is, in fact, only the southernmost English speaking
The World's Southermost McDonalds (sort of)
McDonalds in the world, as there is one in Punta Arenas, Argentina at 53 degrees south latitude). Also, much to my surprise, my only roommate in the eight share room, the Tautara was nearly vacant on a Sunday night, was a young Kiwi guy from Taupo who was headed to Stewart Island to work for the Department of Conservation. Like nearly all young Kiwis, it seems, he is anxious to move to Australia for work and for something to do.
What I Learned Today: Invercargill has taken an interesting strategy to combat the loss of population in the area; they’ve waived all tuition fees at the university in town. In the hopes of drawing in a much larger student demographic (who will hopefully stay) the Southern University of Technology, in conjunction with the city, has implemented a ‘No Fees’ program for New Zealanders who move here and complete a bachelor’s degree. According to a student I met, books, materials, housing and other costs still need to be paid, so it is not a free education, but, nevertheless, a damned good deal.
written by
exumenius
on January 20, 2008
from
Invercargill
,
New Zealand
from the travel blog:
Kiwis and Kangaroos
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Viewing 91 - 100 of 153 Entries
first
|
previous
|
next
|
last
find city:
exumenius
2 Trips
477 Photos
trip feed
author feed
trip kml
author kml
Blogabond v2.40.58.80
© 2024
Expat Software Consulting Services
about
:
press
:
rss
:
privacy
Maps
People
Photos
My Stuff
trip feed
trip kml