Life in Queenstown

Where to start. Well it's been a long time since my last post. And I suppose having a good time has been getting in the way! I flew home to Ireland on August 8th and am only getting the chance to catch up with my blog now - finally! My last few months in New Zealand were filled with memories I can't even describe. Leaving was difficult, but necessary, and since I've been home I'm appreciating what a beautiful place I live in and what wonderful friends and family I have.

SO - Queenstown! Such a wicked little town full of vibrant people, magical scenery and hidden treasures. Known as the Southern Hemisphere’s premier four season lake and alpine resort, this gem of a spot is surrounded by majestic mountains and sits on the shores of the crystal clear Lake Wakatipu. If you feel like going to a spa for a day to relax, I would recommend just going to Queenstown instead! Taking a walk here would revitalise a ninety year old shriveled prune.

 A duck hanging out on the Lake front

 

View of the mountains 

Queenstown Harbour

     Queenstown Lakefront

I lived like a backpacker while traveling before arriving in Queenstown, but I still treated myself and made sure I had a good time. My funds at this point weren't abysmal - but I certainly needed to watch my spending and find some kind of work. The problem was this - every young person has heard about how amazing Queenstown is in winter, and every young person ascends on the town looking for work; many of them kiwis with no visa restrictions or other travelers with plenty of time left on their one / two year visa. I was not one of those people so finding work for the presumably short time I was there was near impossible. Luckily I secured myself work for accommodation in the lovely Bumbles Hostel, right on the lakefront. I worked three hours a day, five days a week and didn't have to pay a penny in rent. It was a combination of being in the right place at the right time and a bit of a slog on my part in looking for somehow to sustain myself that this came about. I was only in Queenstown three days and yet there were people like me there six weeks with out work and paying 160 dollars a week in rent....in a hostel! I was not going to be one of those people. I also got a little bit (well a tiny bit) of temping work through AWF, which made life a bit easier. I wanted to live in Queenstown and I was going to make it happen - there was no two ways about it.

 View from our deck at Bumbles

Living in arguably the most beautiful city in the world was dream-worthy. Time was spent meeting old friends, making new ones, hiking, drinking tea, trying out new recipes, sitting at the lake-front, wishing I could afford to go snowboarding (although there was very little snow), getting to know the inside of night clubs and pubs quite well (Searle Lane mostly), eating Fergburger at 4am, watching hockey games, laughing in the dungeon (our room at Bumbles), people-watching and reminiscing about my year in New Zealand and how it had impacted on my life. Time passed slowly by and I had the chance to think about the last twelve months, the next twelve months and what they would throw at me, and about my place as just one of seven billion people in this world. Things were uncertain, yet I was free, hopeful and happy.

Day 15 (May 29th) Wanaka and arrival in Queenstown!

I woke up at about 8am ready to go out hiking. As I walked out of my dorm I was greeted by a massive blanket of snow and a complete white out with very little visibility so hiking could be a bit dodgy. However, after forty minutes and a hearty breakfast, the weather and visibility was improving significantly. Xavier and I decided we would climb Iron, a short walk from the hostel so we could see the beautiful views in Wanaka which is known as a town of natural mountain and lake splendour. The location of Wanaka at the foot of the Southern Alps with the wilderness of the Mt Aspiring National Park nearby makes it a magnet for outdoor lovers the world over. We are pretty chuffed there's been such a heavy snowfall which really add to the beauty. Mount Iron is an impressive, glacier carved, rocky knoll that rises nearly 250 metres above the surrounding countryside. As a result, from the summit there are excellent 360-degree views of the The Pisa range, the Upper Clutha Basin, Lake Wanaka and the Southern Alps. It is approximately an hour to the summit. What a lovely walk! And there's snow everywhere, including some mini snowmans which have been made by other walkers who have been out earlier than us. It really feels like winter now and it's a beautiful, cold but fresh day. There are really cute little rabbits running around everywhere but they are too quick for us to get any decent pictures. I'm still quite excited by this as I have never seen them in such abundance on any walks in Ireland. We reach the top, breathe in the clean air and take some pictures. 

 Views from Mount Iron

I would love to explore some more of Wanaka and check out the cute little town but I'm eager to get to Queenstown where I have good friends waiting my arrival. I head back to the hostel, grab my bag and get out on the road. I am so excited to get there! I have heard nothing but excellent things about this tiny little winter paradise. After about 15 minutes, I'm picked up by Sarah, a young, kiwi artist who wants to 'revolutionise hugging' and really appreciates all the beautiful things and beautiful people around her. She is great fun and obviously talented. Check out her stuff here! She drops me in Frankton and I'm soon picked up by another Kiwi man, Danny, who feels sorry for me lugging my bag along the road in the snow. Yay! It's snowing again as we arrive in Queenstown and I am already loving the city as I admire the place before being dropped right at my hostel, Absoloot. I get inside, have some dinner, get ready and then meet Charlotte in 1876, a cute and classy bar in town with excellent drink prices. We catch up and hours later I go to sleep dreaming of a wonderful winter in a wonderful winterland, Queenstown. 

 

Beautiful Queenstown

Day 14 (may 28th) Hitching to Wanaka

I get up today to better weather and head out to the main road, one minute from Ivory Towers Hostel, to begin hitchhiking. The day is finally clear and there is a great view of the mountains with a fresh dusting of snow on top. I feel like I'm in Franz Josef again as there are very few cars going by. I think I am being picked up by an Asian couple, but instead they turn into the petrol station opposite me, get out of the car and start taking pictures of the petrol pump and the discount signs. Random. Then they drive the opposite direction. Darn! An hour and a half later, I'm leaving the convenience store with a $1.50 Pams pie in hand and no lift. I give it about another half hour and by 1pm, decide I'm going to have to cheat again and get a dreaded BUS! I meet Joe (funny Joe who played charades with us the other night) at the bus stop and we both get on the 1.30pm bus to Wanaka. The driver is cracking jokes here and there and giving us a running commentary on everything we are passing, which is pretty cool. We stop at Knights Point and look out onto the Tasman Sea, one of the roughest in the world. Apparently boats and sailors have just completely disappeared here, without a trace of their existence. To the southwest there is no land between here and the Antarctic. The tremendous energy of the storms across this ocean has a powerful and changing effect on this coastline. Pretty awesome!

We then drive through Haast. This region covers over 2,500 square kilometres of diverse and spectacular landscapes. As we drive up through the mountainous areas, there is snow and ice on the roads from the night before, which may turn to black ice later and cause major problems. Lucky we are driving through when it's not dark! There's also waterfalls cascading down absolutely everywhere. Apparently, Haast gives a unique insight into the 'Real New Zealand', a rare gem unspoilt by humans and thriving with native bird life. E.E Muir said in 1929 that 'the whole district of South Westland is a perfect paradise to the botanist and indeed any liver of nature', and it's easy to see what he is talking about while driving through. Unfortunately I didn't get any great pictures from the moving bus but we stopped at the only cafe along the way and the picture is below! It's an enjoyable drive with good banter from Joe as we indulge ourselves with ginger cookies and oreos along the way.

We reach Wanaka at about 5.30pm, just as it's getting dark. The view of the lake and the mountains behind as we approached on the bus was amazing. It is absolutely freezing when I get off the bus! I wave goodbye to Joe and set off in search of a hostel. I text Sarah, my personal Isite again and she recommends 'Mountain View' which is warm, friendly and good value. I meet Xavier, another charades buddy and fellow hitchhiker and we chill for the night and watch 'Buried' on the big flat screen TV. I'm still undecided as to whether I love or hate the movie. Another early night for me so we can do some hikes tomorrow in beautiful Wanaka!

 Knights Point

 Haast

 Haast

Day 13 ( May 26th) - More glacial activity

So I wake up today to thunder, lightning and heavy, heavy rain. I was going to get on the road again but being soaking wet for hours in a car wasn't appealing. I decided to stay in the hostel another night so I could re-group and figure out my next steps. But I hate wasting days so I decide I must brave the rain and at least leave the hostel for an hour. I ended up taking a walk to the glacier. It started in the rainforest which is so nice to walk through in the lashing rain - it seems to come alive - the smells become stronger and the colours become brighter. I then come across 'Historic Bridge' which is your typical, rickety New Zealand bridge that allows a walkway over a rapidly running river. I walk onto the bridge to get some pictures and feel like I'm about to be blown over the side. It's scary but fun! I continue to walk and the wind is absolutely howling. I consider turning back but I've walked about an hour and a half at this stage - might as well power through. I finally reach the walk to the glacier. Physically, the walk there is very similar to Franz Josef. Fox Glacier is also a little more exciting, however, as when you make your way to the top of the stony hill and finally reach the top - you are a lot closer to the glacier than what you would be at Franz Josef. You can also see ice caves which are pretty awesome looking. By the time I get back, the wind is blowing even harder and the rain is pelting down. I am drenched and can barely walk against the strength of the wind. Luckily - two Irish guys who happen to be glacier guides stop and tell me to get in. I wish I met them on the way and maybe they could have brought me onto the glacier. Ah well! They drop me all the way back to town, I apologise for ruining the back seat with rain and muck and I head back for a long hot shower. I spent the rest of the day chilling and trying to plan what happens next. Check out the last picture of the glacier below with the people walking on it to get an idea of the size of it.

 Historic Bridge

 On my lonesome

 Historic Bridge

 Glacial Ice Cave

 People walking on the glacier

Clear waters on the way to the glacier

I decided before I started my hitchhiking travels that I wanted to go to all the places I've already been, but also to Milford Sound, Mt. Cook, Lake Tekapo and Dunedin. I didn't actually do any research on getting to these places, and figured that it was probably very do-able in two or three weeks. I didn't look at the road situation. Nope! And as the first few days carried on and I actually began to look at a map I realised what I was dealing with it. Mount Cook is really close the the glaciers, but you have to drive South for a few hours, then East for a little bit, and back up North again to get there. Google maps can't even figure out the route. But you have to drive at least 1000 kilometers in what should only be about 100 kilometers. I wont even get started on getting to Milford Sound. Have a look at the map below - Fox Glacier is a little more than half way down the West Coast, slightly inland. The routes you see are the only roads to take from town to town. So going to these places isn't really going to happen in the few weeks as hitchhiking could go horribly wrong when I need to hitch so far in one day. The road the Milford Sound is closed at the moment anyway so I decide I'll head to Wanaka next, then Queenstown. And I'll do weekend or day trips from there with friends!

Day 12 (May 25th) Skydiving at Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson

So I woke up this morning with a strange urge to jump out of a plane over a glacier. Oh how convenient being in the Glacier Country and all that. I found a voucher (heads up those who want to do a skydive over a glacier) in the free South Island road map (found in any i-site) offering free photos and a t-shirt for Fox Glacier Sky Dive. Sweet. So I leave Shelley with some chocolate as a thank you and get on the road hitching. After twenty minutes, literally not one car has driven by. It's 10.00am on a Saturday morning, on the main road, in one of the most popular tourists spots in the whole country AND a lovely day. This will give you an idea of how little people there is on the South Island, tourists or no tourists. I head to the I-site and ask about the shuttle. Even though it's Saturday - it's not running. Right...! So I tell the lady I'm 'planning' on doing a sky dive over Fox Glacier and within one minutes she has called them, booked my skydive and organised for them to come pick me up, free of charge. Awesome! But also...... no turning back now. Oh wow. They are coming to pick me up at 1.30pm, so I kill a few hours in 'Full of Beans' cafe with a delicious Mocha Frappe and free wifi. I also meet Shelley again who is egging me on for what I'm about to do.

When I get picked up I realise that there really is no turning back! We pick up a French hitchhiker, Xavier and begin to watch a video. We then sign forms. The company will not pay out any insurance or take any responsibility should I die. Okay. No worries. No worries whatsoever. We get to the drop zone, are kitted out and before I know it we are in the plane taking off. At the moment, I have the same feeling I have 10 minutes before curtain call the first night of a theatre show. Except a million times worse. I am TERRIFIED. I would like to think of myself as a cool 'adrenalin junkie' but I am definitely not cool enough to give myself that label. And this feeling confirms that! Within minutes, my legs are out the door, I am posing (or just sitting there hyperventilating) for the 'wing photo' and BOOM I am tumbling through the clouds. I'm also screaming so hard that I've forgotten to breathe so after finding my breathe and realising I'm not dead I begin to enjoy the experience of flying through the air at 12,000 feet above the ground. And it's pure unadulterated bliss! The view of the glacier, and the Tasman sea meeting land is spectacular. When we finally reach the ground I am buzzing and wondering when I can do my next skydive. What a rush! I would really recommend this company and at 300 dollars for 12,000 feet, pick up from another town, free wing photos and a t-shirt - I think I got a quality bargain! 

 

 Skydive Fox Glacier

When I get to my hostel Ivory Towers in the cute, alpine township of Fox Glacier, I meet Xavier, our hitchhiker from earlier, and also two new guys - Dror from Israel and Joe from the UK. We all get chatting and decide to head to Lake Matheson to catch the sun go down. Dror has a car so we are there in ten minutes. We begin the walk and are laughing and joking along the way - these three guys together are hilarious and it certainly doesn't feel like I've only known them only half an hour. I also cannot wipe the permanent happy grin off my face because I just jumped out of a plane. Ahhh! Lake Matheson is also known as 'Mirror Lake', famous for the beautiful reflections it creates. We are told not to count on getting the money shot and it's 'rarely still enough' to really capture the beauty but I think we did a good enough job. We reach 'Reflection Island' and admire the mountains in the lake. We play a few echo games and joke push eachother in before walking back through the forest in the dark to the car. We pick up a few beers, head back to the hostel, play charades, watch stupid prank videos and laugh uncontrollably for the rest of the evening. It's perfect days like today that will make me smile when I'm old and grey. And I'll know that I have truly lived. 

Cue slagging.

Beautiful Lake Matheson

Day 11 (May 24th) - Franz Josef Glacier

The party was great last night at Shelleys but as it wound down at about 4am, I decided I wanted to go to sleep. As I had the couch, I had to sleep amidst the few stragglers who were left chatting. This morning, I realise I had made a very stupid decision. When I went to the bathroom, I was greeted by my face, which now resembled the face of a cat, one that is sporting an undesirable body part on its cheek. Wonderful. When Will, sleeping on the other couch wakes up and sees me, he starts laughing uncontrollably but then stops when it dawns on him that if my face has been sabotaged, so has is! Shelley then gets up, laughs hysterically and we sit and drink tea for an hour. I spend the next hour scrubbing my face until it's red raw and in pain. I still resemble a cat but not to worry. It will give people a reason to stare. 

Shelley and I in Monsoon Bar

Cheers guys

I walk into the quaint little town of Franz Josef and decide to do the glacier walk. It's a fine day - perfect for a bit of a hike. The staggering development of Franz Josef and Fox glacier is largely due to the endless rain of the West Coast. Snow falling in the glaciers broad accumulation zones fuses into clear ice at 20 metres depth, then surges down valleys. The glaciers are particularly steep, so the ice travels a long way before finally melting. Although 140 glaciers flow from the Southern Alps, only these two glaciers reach the lower rainforests and sit at just 250 metres above sea level, making them accessible to the public. To actually get onto the glacier, one must do a guided tour which proves to be quite expensive (generally all over 150 dollars and my bank balance isn't looking majorly healthy) so I think getting 200 metres away from the glacier is good enough for me. 

I walk from the town, through the rainforest and reach the car-park after approximately an hour. Shelley has recommended I do the walk to 'Peters Pool', about 25 minutes from where I am. When I get there, the view is wonderful. The mountains and glaciers are reflected in the small pond and as it is such a calm day, the surface of the water is perfectly still and undisturbed so the reflection is flawless. It's a beautiful sight. 

 

View at Peters Pool

I walk back and then begin the walk to the glacier which is an hour and a half return. It takes me through the rainforest again and eventually I reach the glacier valley. Early Maori called the glacier 'Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere' - the tears of the avalanche girl. The legend tells of a girl whose tears froze to form the glacier after her lover fell to his death from one of the peaks. I feel like I'm in an ancient valley, completely alone and vulnerable (as there doesn't seem to be anyone else doing the walk) but it feels awesome. On each side of me are rising concrete cliffs and a river runs along side me over more stone. Gushing waterfalls and greenery adorn the sides of the cliffs that both lead up to glacier in the centre in front of me. I finally get to the top viewing point to see the ice, as hard as steel. It's pretty spectacular and my photos don't really do the sight justice. Although the glacier is really impressive, it's more the whole scene that gets me, and the sheer size of what I am standing in, completely alone. This is probably the only time I will stand right in front of a glacier so I sit, breathe in the clear air and marvel at the sight in front of me for a few minutes. It is tempting to go beyond the barrier and explore further, but there are clear signs warning against this, one containing a copy of the newspaper cut out detailing the death of two tourists who tried to brave the elements and were hit and killed by falling ice.

The glacier walk

 It's actually beginning to get dark and I knew I shouldn't have set off so late. If I were to be caught down here before reaching the beginning of the valley I'd be in trouble as there is obviously no 'street lights'. I hurry back and make my way towards town. I decide after about four hours of walking I'm too lazy to cook so I head to the Landing for some grub. A delicious sirloin burger and chips is 22 dollars. The atmosphere is great and staff are friendly so it's definitely worth it. Shelley's working again tonight so it's home, an episode of 'Mad Men' and sleep time for me! The view of the moon is beautiful as I walk. Oh New Zealand, you spoil us!

The moon over Franz Josef

23rd May (Day 10) Road to Franz Josef

It’s time to get back on the road down the West coast. Luke went back to work in Christchurch yesterday so I’m going solo again. I have my free breakfast and head into town and towards highway 6. About 20 minutes after I have my thumb out, a massive freight truck drives towards me and stops about 3 inches in front of me. The driver is laughing and obviously very entertained. He gets out, lugs my bag inside and I climb up what seems like 10 metres into the passenger seat. Warren, a middle-aged Kiwi man brings me to Hokitika, drives through the town (seems to be a true wild west town but I don't have time to explore) and then drops me at a perfect hitching post. Happy days! After ten minutes, Thomas, a young Kiwi guy brings me to the tiny town of Ross, where he is from. 

On our way in we come across a really cool looking house with car registrations stuck all over it and on the fence surrounding it. I start to hitch again outside what looks like a closed pub, with more car registrations stuck all over the wall. After two minutes, two men wander outside the pub and say hello. We get chatting - the guys names are Muz and Tommy. Muz has collected old and new motorbikes for years. There is a pub / cafe next door but this part of the pub has been turned into Muz' storage place for all of these cool bikes. He takes me inside and shows me around. He's hoping to perhaps turn it into a mini museum, which could be another drawing point for the town of Ross. There is some amazing bikes and really interesting memorabilia, and I'm delighted I've been dropped off here. Unfortunately I haven't got much time to spend with Muz as I need to get to Franz Josef before dark. He tells me if I had time he would take me up to the graveyard a short drive away to where there are many Irish men buried. They came to Ross in the 1800's to make their gold fortune, but unfortunately a lot of them died in mining accidents or in other unfortunate events. Many of them were only in their forties. Muz also tells me that Ross is a town of glories lost. It's where the unearthing of NZ's largest gold nugget, the 2.772kg 'Honourable Roddy', caused a kerfuffle in 1907. Just as we finish our lovely chat and I begin hitchhiking again, a beautiful and bright rainbow appears right over the house I saw when I first drove into Ross. It happens to be Muz' house. Does it seem weird that I feel like it's a sign for something? Maybe. But it feels special.

 Some of the motor-bike memorabilia at Ross

 Muz and I

 Beautiful rainbow over Muz' house

 Beautiful Lake Lanthe

 Lake Lanthe

 Little town of Hari Hari

 Hari Hari

Soon before our arrival in Franz Josef

The first car that drives by picks me up. I hop in with Emma and Zita, a lovely Maori lady and her daughter. We have a great chat along the way. She wants to stop to use the facilities at Lake Lanthe which I am delighted about because it is such a beautiful lake and the sun is shining down on it. Together with the surrounding native forest, it creates wonderful views. We arrive in the even tinier town of Hari Hari, where Emma lives, and she drops me on the main road slightly down from the town where it will be easy to hitch. It's getting late at this stage and it's going to get dark soon - I remember my rule - don't hitch when it's getting dark! However, I'm enjoying the sun setting and the view of the mountains. This place is beautiful. There's a few cars going by but nobody picking me up. I begin to get irritated by the millions of sandflies and decide after half an hour it's time to call it a day. I'm thinking I'm a bit screwed as there is no backpacker in Hari Hari. Uh-oh! Just as I start walking back to the town, a car driving the opposite direction to where I am going stops, turns around and pulls up beside me. The luck of the Irish yet again prevails. I get into the car with Lynn and Greg, an Australian couple who have a daughter of a similar age to me and they wouldn't like to see her hitchhiking in the middle of nowhere. They are also primary school teachers and we have a great chat, admire the views and even stop to take some pictures. Just before we arrive in Franz Josef, we are pulled over by the cops. Greg is wondering what he's been doing wrong but turns out he didn't have the lights on properly. Phew - that could have become interesting. They drop me right to Rainforest Retreat in Franz Josef where my friend Shelley works and who I am staying with tonight. Perfect!

I meet Shelley and she takes me to her house about two minutes away. She has to head off to work so leaves me be. I make beans on toast - perfect, delicious, backpacker food and chill out. A short while later her room-mate Tom comes home and invites me out with him and his friends. They are going to head to Monsoon Bar where Shelley works so it sounds perfect to me. Soon after we arrive, I bump into a friend, Chris, who I worked with in Pipers Lodge in National Park on the North Island. We have a great catch up! I wait for Shelley to finish work and we head back to hers with a load more eager party-goers in tow. Good times!