Greetings from Te Anau.
Sorry it's been a while but as I haven't sent anyone my blog address yet I guess it doesn't matter.
Well this is our second stop off at this great place where they have more to talk about than just shooting deer and ducks.
Yesterday Tom and I returned from walking the Kepler Track. A exhilarating and not very hard two day tramp which took us to the top of the world and a ridge that gave us stunning views of snow capped mountains and the wilderness of Fiordland. Don't worry Mum there was no roped up climbing involved! Tom forgot the spork (fork/spork) and so with a few sticks, the lid of a tuna can and a little bit of ingenuity-woo hoo, look what he came up with!
We also walked the Hump Ridge Track a week earlier. Here we followed a evergreen beech track, to a 700 meter peak and then a coastal walk where we spotted the elusive Hector dolphin or was it just a sun streaked wave?! We also managed to catch our first mouse in our trap while on the walk. Following the troubles of Arthur's Pass we bought the handy contraption. It comes out every now and again when we think the little buggers might find a tasty snack in our van while we are absent. Anyway we laced it with peanut butter and one little rodent rascal found it his downfall. We arrived back to the cartoon style carnage that was dead mouse. Yesss! Revenge is sweet.
For those who we haven't mailed about the drama of our first experience of Willing Workers on Organic Farms, here goes. Basically there are a lot of lovely/kind people in New Zealand. The family we stayed with unfortunately were not part of those people. Anyone who wants you to put your foot on a piece of wood, without protective boots while they cut it with the biggest chainsaw around and then gets the arse when you refuse and has a storming row can only be described as a plank of wood themselves. So being rid of them is no great loss!
Anyway on a lighter note we have also been to the awesome Milford Sound, which if any of you get the chance you must do. I can't wax lyrical about it , so I'll leave you with a pic instead!
Oh and lastly I did my first glacier climb - up Mount Earnslaw. It was an experience I will never forget. I managed to get up 2,500 meters but the summit was 2,800 meters.
I'm pretty proud considering it was my first time across ice and my crampons did not fit my boots and I had to walk half the glacier in in just my boots and then get dragged the other half along by a rope safely secured by Tom. The result was bruises galore and a lot of cross words exchanged. But once at my top of Mount Earnslaw (Tom and Canadian Tom went to the very summit) I got to see Mount Aspiring and an array of other snow smothered mountains in the far off distant and yodel to my hearts content. Canadian Tom (who we met while wwoofing) dubbed Earnslaw Mount Earnslaughter and he was right! Our epic ended at 4am on Saturday morning after a 22 hour day across rocks, glaciers, woods and dodging poachers bullets.
Oh and of course the bloody bogs, of which I found many!! One boggy fall came up to my waist and left me wallowing in the stinky stuff.
Still weeks after my boggy descent people will not sit next to me in cinemas or internet cafes-hence why I have written so much.
Anyway, I am heading off now. Maybe another walk tomorrow but certainly no glacier climbing or bungying into bogs!
Take care everyone x
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Friday, April 6, 2007
Wonderful Wanaka
Wonderful Wanaka -or unfortunately W*nka as I have been texting and emailing many folks back home-sorry. Damn that predictive text!
We rolled into town more than a week ago and have been exploring the area ever since.
First few nights were spent in a campsite I dubbed Lord of the Flies: White Trash Trailer Park.
Obvious reason-there were a lot of flies (especially in the kitchen) and the buildings resembled something for an American flick about a hick family and their campervan!
Anyway we moved on from there when Tom's mate Darren arrived.
Wanaka walks are wicked. Roy's Peak, which is a baby in comparison to Avalanche Peak stands at 1,500 meters and gives absolute awesome views across the lake and the peaks beyond.
Oh and there was the small thing of me agreeing to let Tom take me up a rock face. That's right despite complaints of Tom's addiction to climbing any bit of stone or rock I decided to have a go.
It was great and when I got to the top of this quite easy climb I neraly projectile vomitted
over the heads of these two climbing instructors! How to make friends eh!
Anyway Tom and Darren decided on Wednesday morning that they would rather shed blood, sweat and tears up Mount Aspiring than sample any more of my half toasted crumpets and headed out for a bit of an epic adventure
While they piled on the pain climbing 2,300 meters I enjoyed residing by the lake and strolling up the 230 meter Mount Iron and the 777 meter Rocky Mountain. Oh and being awoken one morning by an alpaca that escaped from the farm next door staring into Percy. The expression on his face suggested he thought Percy may be another alpaca and one he liked the look of!
Tom and Darren arrived back on Friday night to my surprise. Their epic adventure has left Tom with trench foot, bad farts and stinking socks. (It's nice to have you back really Tom).
Their photos of the climb are amazing. Take a look for yourself.
Anyway Monday we are off to become Willing Workers on Organic Farms on a little farm between Queenstown and Arrowhead.
I reckon even the aroma of cow pats will smell better than Tom's feet!!
We rolled into town more than a week ago and have been exploring the area ever since.
First few nights were spent in a campsite I dubbed Lord of the Flies: White Trash Trailer Park.
Obvious reason-there were a lot of flies (especially in the kitchen) and the buildings resembled something for an American flick about a hick family and their campervan!
Anyway we moved on from there when Tom's mate Darren arrived.
Wanaka walks are wicked. Roy's Peak, which is a baby in comparison to Avalanche Peak stands at 1,500 meters and gives absolute awesome views across the lake and the peaks beyond.
Oh and there was the small thing of me agreeing to let Tom take me up a rock face. That's right despite complaints of Tom's addiction to climbing any bit of stone or rock I decided to have a go.
It was great and when I got to the top of this quite easy climb I neraly projectile vomitted
over the heads of these two climbing instructors! How to make friends eh!
Anyway Tom and Darren decided on Wednesday morning that they would rather shed blood, sweat and tears up Mount Aspiring than sample any more of my half toasted crumpets and headed out for a bit of an epic adventure
While they piled on the pain climbing 2,300 meters I enjoyed residing by the lake and strolling up the 230 meter Mount Iron and the 777 meter Rocky Mountain. Oh and being awoken one morning by an alpaca that escaped from the farm next door staring into Percy. The expression on his face suggested he thought Percy may be another alpaca and one he liked the look of!
Tom and Darren arrived back on Friday night to my surprise. Their epic adventure has left Tom with trench foot, bad farts and stinking socks. (It's nice to have you back really Tom).
Their photos of the climb are amazing. Take a look for yourself.
Anyway Monday we are off to become Willing Workers on Organic Farms on a little farm between Queenstown and Arrowhead.
I reckon even the aroma of cow pats will smell better than Tom's feet!!
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