SomewhereSouth.net

Murf: Queenstown to Invercargill

Half past 9 in the afternoon, somewhere in Invercargill. (Tuatara Backpackers) While the last story ended in Queenstown it wasn't my last day there... But, I took it really easy the next day and decided to be plain lazy. So I basically spent the evening doing some shopping in Queenstown and chilling out in the TV-room, not really in for more booz-nights. The next morning Mariah left and how sweet it was of her, she woke me op because she totally missed the fact that I did NOT had to take the bus to Christchurch. So I was awake way too early and more or less spent the day doing erhm, nothing at all. Not entirely true though, I went shopping and bought myself a New-Zealand Monopoly game because I didn't have any at home and really liked that as a souvenir. Bit sad though that buying the game set be back $60,- and shipping it over to Holland yet another $24,- But it's worth it and taking it home in my backpack impossible. Went to the beach for a great view of the mountains behind Queenstown (it's winter so there is some snow on it) and headed to the cinema to view Mr. & Ms. Smith. Nice movie though not really a must-see. In the cinema I met some bloke from the first kiwibus and we had exactly one beer together before he got back to his hostel and I went upstairs to fix myself up for a few hours in the bar downstairs. Had to grab the bus to Dunedin the next morning at stupid-o-clock (7.45am) and really didn't want to make it too late. Well, it was 0:30 before I finally found my bed but I had a fairly good night down at the bar so it was not too bad.

The next morning the Bottom-Bus arrived and we headed straight to Dunedin (meanwhile visiting the steepest street in the world which I did NOT climb because I was too damn lazy) to dump off our luggage and make a dash for the peninsula where we had the chance to hop into a 8-wheel-drive vehicle to see some specteculair wildlive. The trip was a bit too short to my opinion but we DID see some very impressive things. First of all we headed to a colony of baby furseals. Because we where in a shelter we could come REALLY close to those pups (mom was a couple of meters further on the rocks). Impressive. A bit later we headed towards a shelter above the beach and there we saw far, far away one of the rarest creatures on earth, a Yellow-Eyes pinguin. Hard to see, the poor fella was already scared by us being at 300 meters distance after we all hid in a shelter he finally walked over the beach where we had a nice view of him. Right behind us, leaving the shelter on the backside we had a close contact with the smallest pinquins in the world, the Blue Pinquin. The lad was asleep underneath a rock and we could come as close as just 3 meters or so. *Wauw!* And then it was time to go back to the bus. Way too early. The 8wd vehicles where pretty cool though, plunging through the roughest terrain I've seen without any trouble. (They're amphibious and fairly comfortable.)

Back to the hostel (still an hour drive from the peninsula) and straight to the Speights Brewery for a tour. Not much to say about it, it was just very nice... I spend the night in the hostel near the woodfire, meanwhile having a talk with one of the Irish girls I'd met on one of my Kiwi busses. I didn't expect her there but we had a really nice talk. Next day she left and I went to check out town AND to the Taieri (?) Gorge Railway, a scenic railway trip of 4 hours. Costed me a whopping $48,- but is was worth it as the train goes through terrain not even cars can come and really has some amazing views. And so my first full day in Dunedin ended. That night I decided I'd spend the night as a homesick alien erhm, Dutchie, found some Grolsch in the supermarket, loaded my basked with a 6-pack of it and shitloads of TimTams and other nice chocolate thingies, a girls-magazine and nestled myself safely in front of the woodfire. Surprisingly I felt really happy that night. A bit as a clown with a tear in one eye but a really big smile on my face. It just felt so lovely homey there in Adventurer Backpackers and having a Grolsch in my hands (Grolsch is brewed in my hometown Enschede and exported all the way from there to New-Zealand in 33cc bottles) made it just perfect.

The next day (thursday) was real easy day. The plan was just to go shopping and that's exactly what I did. Not that I bought much, a new silver ring for myself (with a cute dolphin, I actually bought 2 for $5,- each) and some earrings who I just keep as a present for someone. (And I really don't know who yet, I just liked them and they where only $10,- so I bought 'm.) But I ended up in the Cadbury chocolate factory. I haven't been in any chocolate factory yet and well, it just seemed nice to visit one while I had the chance. Pretty ok, you feel a bit like Willy Wonka and though the tour is kinda aimed at the little ones under us it was still a very nice tour. Only buying a purple t-shirt failed as they didn't have a XL version. But THAT will be fixed as one email solved it all and they'll ship one to Holland as soon as I paid for it. (Not a problem.)

Again another night in front of the woodfire and to bed early as I had to catch a bus at 7:45am. *BLERGH!* Anyway, that was this morning and it seemed like ages ago as today was soo bloody stuffed. The whole trip would normally take just 2,5 hours but we arrived here in Invercargill around 6:30pm. And why? Well, because this leg of the trip you spend a lot of time OUTSIDE the van and IN the nature. We did 4 small walks along the way and took all touristic routes possible. Saw some really impressive nature, frozen lakes, a sea-lion in the sand-dunes from quite close (6 meters) and again a yellow-eyed pinquin. (But again at 300 meters distance as those creatures are extremely shy by nature. Extremely rare as well, I tought there where around 600-1000 of them in the whole world, all of 'm in New-Zealand.) We also stopped at some wacko's gallery in the middle of knowhere who made all funny stuff out of mostly just junk. He lives in an old big bus with his dog and the township is so small I don't even remember the name. Had a quite funny mailbox though, a Mail Whale, indeed in the shape of a whale. Just a tad smaller.

So the trip took us little longer than you would normally expect but it was worth it. And now I'm in Invercargill. It should've been Curio Bay but as the bus only had 6 people in it it was easier for them to head straight to Invercargill (an hour drive from Curio Bay). That is an advantage for me though. Tomorrow I'll fly to Stewart Island and thanx to the fact that I'm already in Invercargill (where the airport is) I can take the morning flight instead of the afternoon one, which gives me just a couple of hours extra on the island. I decided to go by plane because it was just $14,- more expensive than by boat and you get more or less a free scenic flight for free as you're travelling in a really small airplane (6-8 people). Stewart Is. should be great though I don't have the time (and the knees and condition) to do a big hike there. I'll probably stay more or less where I am though I am planning a small trip per water-taxi ($25,-) to a tiny island IN Stewart Island. I'll leave the island on monday the 20th to go straight to Te Anau, spend there 2 days and then go to Milford Sound. As time is running out a bit I have a fairly strict planning to make it back to Christchurch but the planning is very easy in a way that in every place the bus stops I have at least 1 day extra to spend. So though strict I really DO take it very very easy. I just want one day in Queenstown to party hard (and go to the ice-bar) and then a couple of days in Christchurch to check out Hagley Park, the tower and again, party very very hard to celebrate my last days on this island. 16 days to go before I'm home, just 13 before I fly back to Sydney and the big journey home starts. (Including my flight to Sydney and my 22 hours stopover there it'll take me a full 3 days to fly back.)

Well, that's it for now :-)

BTW what is really wicked and still confuses me a bit is that my social life seems to get stronger while I'm away. Already 2 old friends of mine suddenly mailed me and made clear that they DO want to have contact again. Friendships who I had back home became stronger the 2,5 months before I left and even got stronger while I'm away and one of the most important things I've learned over here is that my friends are probably the most important things in my life. That HAS been different. There was a time where my computers where firmly no. 1, closely followed by my girlfriend at that time. But I can assure you now that that has changed completely. I still like computers (and though I wanted to leave the whole IT for what it was before I left, right here I learned that I do love computers but just want a job where I can combine my love for technical stuff with my love for working with people) but they're definetely NOT no. 1 anymore. And really, I like it. No, I don't like it. I LOVE IT!

Murf | 17 Jun 2005 (Fri), 11:37 @ story