Adventures with mom Part II

We left the dead town of Te Anau and drove over to Queenstown, which at this time of year is easily the most popular destination on the south island because it acts as the center for all those coming to ski in NZ. It's got a very similar vibe to Aspen or Park City, just not as old and overly classy. I'm a huge fan of Queenstown. On top of being the main skiing attraction it's considered the adventure capitol of the world for people (like me) who like to do crazy things like bungy jumping, parasailing and paragliding, extreme canyon boat riding, and other insane stuff. If I had to live in NZ this place would be my home.

Better yet, we stayed at the Azur Lodge while there. It's a little odd driving through a sketchy neighborhood to get to this place, but it could be the best hotel/lodge I've even stayed in. You get your own little cabin with a king size bed, couches by the fireplace, complimentary bottle of wine, the biggest shower head I've ever seen and a tub with jets, and it's all situated with absolutely incredible views of the mountains and lake. Phenomenal.

And there's so much to do in Queenstown. We took our time walking around the center of town and rode up the gondola (more incredible views) and did the luge ride they have. We played mini-golf--twice--once with my mom getting a hole-in-one on the final hole to earn a free game and the other place being indoors and the most intricate putt putt course you could imagine. Par was 68 and I shot over 80. It's that nuts. I did the bungy jumping, we took advantage of the rain to see Inception (great film), and ate way too much food. It was all such a blast and even if you weren't in town you could relax at the lodge all day if you wanted and just sit back and enjoy the sun hitting the mountains. It was definitely a sad moment when we had to leave that place.

Instead of driving all the way up north we flew up to Nelson, a nice little town on the northern coast of the south island known for being artsy with lots of craft stores and galleries. The only problem was that almost all of the main ones were closed because August is their month off during the winter. Unfortunately the travel agent forgot to mention this fact. Anyway, we stayed at another B&B in Nelson and spent some time enjoying the galleries that were open and a great chocolate store with little puzzles on each table that entertained the two of us much longer than anyone our ages should have been. No matter, we loved it.

Nelson did, however, offer one thing well beyond everything else: the combined classic cars and WOW museum. WOW stands for World of Wearableart (I think that should be two words, but they made it one). The cars, of course, were cool to check out from the Packards from the 1910s and 20s, 50s Cheveys, and even the more modern Ferarris and a Maybach. The WOW portion was actually more impressive. There is a show every year (it originated in Nelson but now is so big it has to be held in Wellington), and it's basically open to anyone who wants to submit their art/outfit. Some crazy things, but really interesting to see what people do with the idea that the clothing should be considered art on its own.

Finally our last stop along the way was in Kaikoura. What made this stop interesting was our accommodation: a place where you stay in a tree house. It's a very nice room, but each one is up a flight of stairs so you have a view and it looks like a tree house from the outside. Very cool idea, and the views you get are of the mountains on one side and a vineyard with cows on the other. Shampooing in the morning while watching cows grazing is quite entertaining. After avoiding a fire scare (they make you light a fire with pine cones in the fire place...those things extremely smokey so the person who thought that one up clearly was not thinking) we both enjoyed a night of playing cards and dinner.

The next day was my mom's last full day in NZ. We drove back down to Christchurch and went to dinner at the hotel's restaurant (where they had a smoked scallop that came out with a covering so the waiter could release the smoke in front of you. I coughed it was so bad. Again, who comes up with these ideas?). Before we headed to the airport the next day I taught my mom how to eat a Tim Tam Slam, so her trip was complete.

It was two weeks of overeating, overindulgence, and over-excitement at times. But it was two of the most fun weeks I've had since I left home almost four months ago at this point. I basically know the south island by heart at this point, so if you ever want to go I'll gladly be your guide.

Adventures with mom Part I

My mom came to visit for two weeks recently and a lot took place, so I'm breaking it all up into two posts.

Just a couple days after finishing up work with Conservation Volunteers NZ I was able to check out of the backpackers hostel for what I knew was going to be something a little more comfortable for a couple of weeks with my mom. Clean beds and bathrooms along with real and tasty food coming my way for two weeks. I was in heaven.

We started in Christchurch for a few days where we walked about town in the rain on the first day to take a look at all the galleries. We visited the Christchurch Cathedral, the city museum, and spent some time at the film festival (where we saw that classic "The Human Centipede"). We had a little tour around the city and drove up into the mountains where we saw it snowing!

Probably the most fun we had was at the Antarctic Center. Who knew that Christchurch was the main hub for almost all every country that had a base on Antarctica. You're a lot closer to the South Pole than you think down here, and the center had all sorts of information about the history of exploration down there, a look into what life down there is like today, and they even have pictures sent back to the center regularly to update everyone (we even saw a picture taken the very same day we visited). They have a storm simulator too; you get a special jacket and walk into a room with snow and they turn off the lights and make it extremely windy to the point where its below 0 degrees F. They also have lots of info about and house penguins. I had no idea how many species existed.

The two of us were going to explore the entire south island during my mother's two week stay, so we figured the easiest way was to drive around most of the time and maybe schedule a flight somewhere. I took the reigns on driving, and driving on the opposite side of the car and the road is even weirder than you can imagine. It definitely takes a little getting used to. But I managed and we left Christchurch and headed down to Dunedin where we stayed at a lovely B&B, got a tour of the city from a fellow who had spent his entire life there, and took a fantastic train ride up into the mountains and back that also scared the heck out of my mother as at one point we were allowed to walk across the train tracks over a bridge before the train went. Did I mention the bridge was almost 500ft above a rive gorge? My mom was not happy.

Two days later we made it to Te Anau, a small little town that had about three places open. We had two objectives in this town, the first to visit the glow worm caves. Getting to the caves involved boating along Lake Te Anau, which is right next to Fiordland National Park. The lake was beautiful, perfectly still, and on average had a depth of 800ft. The deepest parts were 1400ft. Sadly, upon our arrival to the caves, we were informed that a huge storm had come through the mountains the night before, causing tons of excess water in the caves, and we could not take the small boat into the inner caves to see the glow worms. Disappointing, but we did get to walk in through some parts of the caves--which was nice--and we did get our money back. Woohoo, free tour.

Our second day in Te Anau had us taking a tour up and through Fiordland National Park to see the Milford Sound. We took a bus ride up to the sound with several stops along the way to take in the incredible scenery (think giant open fields from Lord of the Rings), and we got to listen to every bit of tour info twice because we were on the Japanese bus with their interpreter (but she was actually very nice and always took pictures of families). The mountains were just incredible, with snow caps and waterfalls as far as you could see.

The ride up, however, was nothing compared to what we saw while boating on the sound. Right off the bat we saw a family of dolphins in the water, including tow baby dolphins. We spotted a penguin and saw a pack of seals near the end of the trip. But the scenery on this ride was unlike anything I've seen before. Mountain upon mountain darting into the water. Scenery you thought only a computer could generate for a movie was right in front of us. It was cloudy at first but soon they moved away to create the perfect amount of clouds to allow some perspective. You know how sometimes certain scenery seems fake because it's just so big and seems too perfect? That is what everything seemed like on this boat trip. Just stunning. We even took the boat right up to the bottom of a massive waterfall. Ever been standing almost right under one that's about 500ft high? Another unique experience. Just take a look at the pictures I'll provide because there really is no better way to explain everything.

Ok that's it for week one. Check back soon for week two.

Bungyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

I went bungy jumping last week, and it is one of the top five best things I have ever done.

When I arrived in Queenstown I knew I was going to go bungy jumping. Aj Hackett invented bungy jumping in Queenstown in 1988, and the home of the bungy is still the best place to do it if you ask any Kiwi. There were so many options of locations and types of jumps that it was a little overwhelming at a certain point. So I did what I thought was simplest and best: the Kawarau Bridge jump, the bridge where the first bungy was done. I wanted it to be simple, clean, and just like the first jumpers.

This jump was 43 meters high, just above 140 ft. Big, but nothing insane like some of the other options that had you plunging over 400 ft. But as the nice reception lady said at our lodge, the Kawaru Bridge is thought to be better than the deepest jumps because in those jumps it's just a giant canyon and there is no perspective. My jump was right over a river and closed on two sides so you really felt like you were jumping off something high up.

I arrived at the jumping location a little nervous, but I get nervous for everything so I knew it was normal. My mother on the other hand was a complete wreck. It didn't help that when we arrived the crew was on a break so I had to wait another half hour (we got there pretty early too) before I jumped. But I got ready to go, weighed in, and signed away my life in case something were to snap. But while waiting came that moment where for me the nervousness goes away and I get so excited that I just can't wait any more to get out there and do whatever life-risking activity awaits. I was pumped and ready to go and getting so antsy I just wanted to jump off of something.

Finally it was time to go (last words from mom: "Don't die." Thanks mom.) I got into my harness and they tied a bunch of cords around my legs and a towel. I lost track of what they were doing but trusted whatever it is (this company has had one "incident" since 1988, just one). I then had to waddle my way to the edge and smile for their cameras and wave to my mom. I took one quick peak over the ledge....and whoaaaaaa that's really high. Ok back to concentrating on what the dude is saying so I don't die. Once you get to the edge and do your smiling they count down from three and you're gone. No waiting around or saying you can't do it. Once you're up there and they count down they will push you off that ledge if you do not move. So I jumped.

I will never be able to come up with the words to aptly describe that feeling you get for the first second as you're jumping off the bridge and falling towards the ground. Clearly it's like nothing you've ever experienced before, but all those times you've thought what it would actually be like jumping off a bridge are now becoming reality. You're worried at first because instinct goes "Holy shit I'm falling off a bridge" and it takes a moment for your brain to remind yourself that you're attached to something. It's just absolute freedom like falling from the sky (but it's distinctly different from skydiving). I can best sum up my thought process like so: whoaaaaaaaaaomgomgomgomgomgomahhhhhhhhhhhholllllyyyyyyyyyyshitttttttttahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee this is fun.

Once you've hit the end you can feel the tug on your legs as the bungy pulls you back up and you boing, boing, boing. Finally I got pulled into the raft they had waiting for you at the bottom on the river, and I could not have had a bigger smile on my face. I was ecstatic. I ran all the way back up to the top where my mom was waiting wanting to jump again a million times. But I knew i couldn't so I didn't spoil the moment. It was too amazing, and I wanted to let it all sink in again and again. Luckily for me they have bungy jumping in Auckland, my last stop before I leave NZ. I think I've got a going away present to myself in mind.

The Human Centipede!

Ok, you're probably thinking what the hell am I going to be writing about with a blog post having that kind of title. Well it's as weird and nasty as you may have thought.

While in Christchurch with my mom she noticed that the International NZ Film Festival was taking place. We went inside the main theatre and took a look through the catalog to see what was showing.

Quick flashback: while volunteering at the Billabong in Townsville, Australia, one of the rangers had mentioned some clips he saw on youtube about a movie by this same title. He described it to us all but I thought it was just some sick joke and not actually a movie. I was wrong.

I told my mom immediately that we had to see this movie, even though I knew it was totally not the kind of movie she would like. I didn't care. I HAD to see this movie. I'm a guy, I love gross and weird stuff like this. Unfortunately I still wasn't prepared for this film. It centers around this sick German doctor to abducts three people and tries to turn them into a human centipede. He did it with three of his former dogs, and so he tries to do it to these three tourists (one a crazy Japanese guy and two ditzy girls from New York traveling around). Without spoiling the movie and having to say it, I'll let you figure out where the three people were connected.

After the movie I wasn't sure if I ever could watch another film again. It was just so outrageous and out there I can't even imagine someone writing this script and then saying to anyone "Yes, I want to make this movie" with a serious face. Lesson learned here: there are some crazy and nasty people out there. Google the movie if you're still interested, but don't say I didn't warn ya.

Oops, I probably shouldn't have done that: Third time's the charm (or not).

So after the first week of working with Conservation Volunteers NZ I needed to shave. But being the lazy person I am I said screw it--I'll grow out a little bit of facial hair and look rugged while I'm doing my outdoor program (picture included for so all can laugh; also note how terrible I am at taking pictures of myself in the mirror).

Well, this past weekend marked over three weeks since the last time I shaved and it was time to take it all off because I need to not look like a terrorist when my mother arrived. Normally it wouldn't be a problem because at home I use a razor blade to shave. However, for the sake of convenience, I've had an electric razor for my travels.

I thought I was going to have some fun with this and make a post about the funny types of facial hair I can create on my own face. Boy was I wrong. Trying to shave off all that hair was SO EFFING PAINFUL! Holy shit it hurt so much. First the hairs got caught in the razor so I tried to use the trimmer, but that really didn't do anything. Then I had to continuously empty the razor because it got stuck with all the hair inside it. By the end of the experience I had a neck as red as a lobster and I used as much aftershave as I could get out of my nearly empty bottle I packed. Ouch.

So remember boys and girls, if you're going to not shave for a few weeks at least make sure you have a razor blade to take care of the problem. Otherwise it hurts like a bitch.

I'm done conserving this country!

Sorry for the delays between posts. Another bit of a transition period (more on that later), but several posts planning so check back a few more times this week for more updates.

Last week was my final week of working for Conservation Volunteers New Zealand. Our final project took us up to the town of Waiuta. It really shouldn't be a town because it has a population of zero, but it used to be one of the main gold mining towns in the entire country so today a couple people try to help keep the area nice and tidy for tourists to come through and have a look. It really is in the middle of nowhere, but that just meant more peace and quiet for us.

We spent the first morning clearing around some of the old machines that were used to dig for the gold that had been overrun by weeds, but our main project lasted the rest of the time that had our group clearing an old road that lead to an old gathering ground for the miners. Over the course of a few days we managed to clear almost 400 yards of thick and muddy trees, weeds, and ferns. It may seem a little tedious, but it was quite nice to be able to look back and get a sense of what we had accomplished. To give everyone an idea of how long this trail was, I took a video of what we cleared out (too long to upload here for everyone, sorry), and it took over five minutes to walk from where we finished back to our starting place. We chopped down a bunch of trees, whacked out all the thorny bushes, and enjoyed ourselves for the most part.

I finished up last Friday and had a weekend to myself before my mother arrived on Sunday. I'll post an update later this week about all the things we've done so far, but it's going to be two weeks of seeing the entire south island; and there is a lot to do in just two weeks, so we are cramming in as much as possible. So check back soon for some more info, including the most recent episode in a series I'm sure everyone loves to read about. Until then, hope everyone is staying cool in what seems to be a nasty heat wave everywhere--it's nice and cool down here, in the upper 40s and low 50s each day.

The Sinclair Wetlands

After spending a nice and lazy weekend in Christchurch our team headed south towards Dunedin to work at the Sinclair Wetlands. These Wetlands--approximate three square kilometers--were donated by Horace Sinclair back in the early 1980s in hopes of turning the place into an educational tool for children and providing a home for native species that had been driven away from the area and/or were endangered.

What makes the help of Conservation Volunteers NZ stand out even more here is that Johnny, the man who runs the wetlands today, is the only full-time employee who takes care of this massive area. He is also over 70, so he can use as much help as he can get. Groups such as ourselves will help out, school groups will come and plant native flora in certain areas, and even local convicts will serve out their community service at the wetlands.

Our main job for the week consisted of extracting massive flax plants from the ground along the main road and then cutting them up into smaller sections to be replanted within the wetlands. This task turned out to be pretty fun as it entailed us tying a massive chain around the plant, hooking it up to a 1940s tractor, and revving that baby for all it's worth. We ended up, after all the cutting, having over 200 plants that we later in the week took a day to plant in several areas.

One other day we worked with the local fish and wildlife service to do some weed releasing and planting. Problem was they asked us to plant some shrubs in a location that involved walking through water waist deep (our leader for the week showed us this fact, not voluntarily however). So we decided to cancel that idea and chased sheep around for an hour instead. Quite a lot of fun if you ask me.

We also took a hike to one of the higher hills in the area. This place puts countries like Ireland to shame. Just beautiful rolling hills, as green as can be in the middle of winter, and a picturesque view with sheep grazing all around. And with the long sights of the horizons and lots of rain starting and stopping we saw several rainbows throughout the week. I hadn't seen one in about ten years, then I saw ten in about four days.

I've now got one week left of this volunteer work before a month of free time (mom is coming to visit for two weeks next weekend) before I start playing rugby. Speaking of which, the tri-nations cup is happening at the moment (rugby for Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa), and the Australia-NZ game took place last night. I got a preview of what I'm in for in about a month. Those guys are nuts! Absolutely crazy! And I can't wait. And I am definitely going to learn that crazy dance the NZ team does before every match. The moment they make that first move is awesome, the crowd goes nuts, and you get an immediate adrenaline rush. It's going to be a blast