Living Life Like a Simile

My writing friends have suggested I try being a little more literary in some of my posts. So here is a mix of styles.

I wonder what it is in me that wants to find the familiar in unfamiliar places.  As I travel around NZ I continually think ‘these rolling hills look just like the ones around Stettler’, or ‘this road like the one to Kaslo’ or ‘the cliffs and rocks like those along the west coast’.  I emailed a friend that this country all looks just like Alberta and BC.  She replied ‘but your pictures don’t look like anything in Canada’.  

Do newcomers, did my grandparents and great grandparents feel the same way coming so far from home, seeking the confidence that comes from familiar surroundings.  Tonight I can see the stars for the first time. There are so many, so bright, so beautiful and I don’t recognize any of them.  Unlike the Maori’s I would not know how to follow them back home

It’s been a long day. The trip from Fox Glacier to here took 8 hours, almost all driving.  I stopped in Hokitika the home of NZ Jade to look at the carvings.  There are some beautiful pieces and they are way out of my price range. The funniest thing, given what I just wrote, is that the clearest, most ‘green’  Jade is imported from Canada and many of the pieces I liked most were made with rock from my home country.

When I finally got to Greymouth the car transfer was fast and I was on my way in no time. I was so happy to be out of the rain forest into sunshine, big waves and big skies. At my first pull out  I went to take pictures, came back to ‘my’ car opened the back door to put way my equipment and wondered where the extra bags came from. I was in someone else’s car, same color and make as my old one. The people arrived just behind me looking bemused and I was mortified trying to explain. They looked at me 'kindly'. 

My accommodation here is my favourite so far.  There are only six units. They are simple, well designed, pine walls, high, sloped ceiling with lots of windows and a deck  looking out onto the forest.  It is very peaceful and I can hear the waves. When I checked in the owner told me somewhat wistfully that there were 200 dolphins playing on the beach if I wanted to go right away as he wished he could do, so I did. The Pancake Rocks are small in area. The walk around them can be done in 15 min.   From the bluffs we could only see 10-20 dolphins and they were so far out they were like little jewels popping up for a few seconds.  I went back again for sunset and it was better, fewer people, all with cameras clicking away. 

Actually, I don't think this is a Kiwi, another flightless bird though

There are fences all along the trail and signs saying do not climb over the barrier.  Well to get good images you really do have to get over and out on the ledges.  In a couple of areas I can see the wear of others having climbed the barricades and I know I would have done it in my earlier years but not today. They still talk about the one survivor in 1985 who fell into a blowhole and lived. Unlike him I know the odds are not in my favour.

You can see how easy it would be to get out there just a little further....

And then just jump from rock to rock out to the edge 

In my room

Not as bad as it sounds.  My car is waiting for me in Greymouth the Avis lady said someone else came in today having driven on the small tire from around the same place I got my flat outside of Haast with no trouble. I was glad to know I was not alone.  The day was miserable cold, rainy, and dark. Perfect weather for someone who needs some downtime to organize, recharge their batteries do laundry, get caught up on email, photos and blog work. I didn’t leave my room until it was time to venture out to dinner. 

Afterwards I could see in the clouds lifting by Lake Matheson, got the car, filled up with gas for tomorrow and drove out there.  It was a beautiful walk around the lake and didn’t matter that it was cloudy.  People were all happy to get out and about.  A good day and I feel much better now. This is a modest little motel with the best internet service I've had since coming to NZ and it's free.  

This is the most photographed spot in NZ.  Mt. Tasman and Mt. Hood are somewhere behind the clouds

The poem was posted at this lookout

Fox Glacier

Oh what a day!!! It started out so well. I was feeling good to be on the road, I kept thinking of the phrase Captain of my fate and master of my soul. I stopped and walked to every roadside pool and waterfall. Experimented with my wide angle lens. The weather was changeable between cloudy and drizzly.  I had a picnic lunch and all was right with the world.

Thes are on the route to the Blue Pools a famous stopping point because of the suspension bridges and views of the clear water. I liked it best for the inuksuks

Actually there were Inuksuks at all the river stops along the route.

And the ferns were amazing. 

I know where the image for the trees in Lord of the Rings came from

The road is narrow and windy and mostly up and down.  I am in awe of the number of cyclists I passed, laden down with full camping gear.  At any rate while they labored up I could feel like Mario Andretti going around pin tight curves at 15-35 km.  When there aren’t curves there are single lane bridges that have arrows indicating whether you have the right of way to go first or the oncoming traffic does.  There are a lot of these bridges and there is no particular order in who is going to have the right of way. There is also some horrendous amount of rain each year so the bridges have a raised concrete lip, about 8 inches, with holes in them to drain water off the deck.  These lips are sometimes painted the same colour as the railings and not so obvious.  When I got up towards the bridge I saw I had priority and no one was coming so I kept driving and hit the lip dinting the wheel and flattening the tire.  There is nowhere to stop either on the bridge or on the side of the road after.  I went about 300 yards and in desperation just pulled over and stopped half on and half off.  

I am just not cut out for these things.  I took a breath, opened the trunk and realized I had no clue how to change a tire.  I couldn’t even figure out how to get the jack out. I should also say there is almost no one on the road.  Maybe another vehicle going in my direction every 10-15 min. I found my Avis book and an emergency number but there is no cell service.  In desperation I flagged down a passing van full of French people. I asked the driver if his cell phone worked and he said no cell service anywhere close and offered to change my tire.  I said the rim was wrecked so I didn’t think that would work, what was I thinking?  Anyway he didn’t listen to me and the 3 older Frenchmen, my age jumped out of the van, took over my car and had the tire changed in 5 min.  Their wives fluttered sympathetically in the background.  The guide just laughed and said pretty good for a Frenchman then he told me to be really careful because I had a lot of bridges ahead of me to Fox Glacier and not to go over 80km/hr.  They all shook my hand and took off.  I kind of had that post adrenaline shaky feeling so walked back up the road to find the hubcap thinking that I would need it.  It was plastic and a little mangled.  

Feeling a little mangled myself I headed out.  I had plans for walking beaches at Haast and further on but when I got there I just didn’t have the mojo for it and kept on driving til I needed a washroom and took a couple of pics of the Tasman Sea.  

The Tasman Sea

 It drizzled most of the way on and off and the road was so twisty that I didn’t need to worry much about holding people up because no one was going very fast.  It took me three hours to get to Fox Glacier and then my trusty GPS took me to a house that had nothing to do with the name of the motel I was supposed to be staying at.  When I typed the motel name in nothing came up.  I drove into town, it is a very small town, and asked at a restaurant where it might be the girl never heard of it then saw the look on my face and said she would call her manager because she would know better.  There is a place, I made it and am settled, sort of, in.  

I called the emergency Avis line and they didn’t know, patched me through to Queenstown who also didn’t know what to do and had to call me back. The upshot is I have to drive to Greymouth another 3-4 hours and do a vehicle exchange.  I will also have to pay for everything because I took the cheaper insurance with a big deductible, thinking I was impervious  to accidents.  On top of which the Greymouth office is closed until morning  and I have to confirm that they will hold a car until the day after tomorrow so I can check out the glacier and lakes around here.  The Avis lady said there is such a big demand they are having to juggle vehicles all around the island. The influx of Chinese tourists some of who want to drive themselves and even camp is quite remarkable.  If I do have to go tomorrow the motel guy says he can’t refund my money unless he can rent out the room, but he is sympathetic. 

So now I have told my story I feel a bit better.  I wish I was in Greymouth and had everything sorted out.  

To be continued.

Last Day and First Day

The last 24 hours have been a roller coaster. Yesterday I was anxious about going out on my own and a bit sad about leaving my group after our farewell dinner.  I can hardly believe how much we did and how good we were together. The best parting gift was when Martin, who knows a lot about technology and cameras, was able to get my wide angle lens working when no one else in NZ could.   

This morning we went to Arrowtown.  It is a gentrified old mining town and also where they filmed the scene of the horseman getting drowned by the flood in Lord of the Rings. There was free time to shop or explore and we walked along the river trying to figure out where they might have built a dam to control the water flow for the scene.  There was a good bakery and I bought some bread for my journey then we sat on a bench and talked and fed crumbs to the birds. It was a happy relaxed way to end the trip and later at the airport there were big hugs when I left them.  

The tour buses have discovered Arrowtown

There are still an incredible number of cyclist doing this west coast route.  No shoulder, huge, never ending climbs and this one is barely loaded compared to most of them

The Dominican Nuns came to Arrowtown during the gold rush and this one is still here, well not that she was here in the gold rush days, but she was lovely.

This is the home of one of the first nun's who became named a saint

A lot of craftsmanship and trendy shops here

This is the way the Scottish settlers made rock walls, kept the animals from jumping over

This was the last shop of the Chinese man who supplied miners during the gold rush

This is where the horseman in Lord of the Rings got flooded out when Frodo was almost dead

Getting the car was easy and after seeing all the construction and confusion leading into the airport I decided to get a GPS.  Brilliant move. It is going to make driving much less stressful.  Although the lady at the desk suggested I might want to take the longer, easier route to Wanaka my GPS thought we should go over the mountains and I’m so glad I once again took the road less travelled.  There were a spectacular series of switchbacks up to the top of the pass. I wasn’t nervous, there wasn’t much traffic and my biggest challenge was learning to hug the centre line and not drift onto the edge, the inside edge.  When I got to the top I felt like the whole world was opening up in front of me.  The valley was so beautiful.  It was raining lightly on and off and I don’t think the pictures do it justice, at least not justice to the way I felt.  Any concerns about travelling on my own have disappeared. 

This is the view on the other side of the divide on the way down

The drive down and onto Wanaka was easy, no trucks or tour busses to worry about. My GPS took me right to my accommodation.  I found a great grocery store and there was a fruit vendor selling cherries.  I am so happy to have my own food I think I will be living on fruit, soups, salads and cheese while I wear off two weeks of buffets. I rested then walked along the bay. Wanaka is a very pretty, very small town.  After I got back to the hotel there was an unexpectedly lovely sunset but with almost 20,000 steps I just enjoyed it from the balcony.  Hopefully tomorrow will clear for the drive to Fox Glacier.

This sculpture is called The Nurturing Hand.  Done to illustrate the NZ spirit of strength, kindness and reaching out to help others.