Queenstown, NZ

The weather cleared today for our flight out to Auckland. I am so glad we got stranded here. Queenstown is absolutely beautiful. The town surrounds the lake and the snowy peaks jet up against the skyline. Absolutely beautiful. Lots of cozy pubs and restaurants, with fireplaces and Speights beer on tap.

Yesterday at the airport, the flight was cancelled bc of bad weather. Interestinly, there are two airlines in this small airport. Air New Zealand and Qantas. We are on Qantas. Now each airline can determine their own safety measures. Eventhough Air New Zealand was flying out in the bad weather, Qantas would not. It wasn't the airport that was making the final call if or when the airplanes could fly, it was the airlines themselves. So we watched the Air New Zealand planes take off. Additionally, Qantas is rated as one of the safest airlines to fly. That is comforting to be on a safe airline, but the kicker is the awful customer service. Qantas had a plane full of passengers that were on the cancelled flight. We were all standing in queue to talk to the agents behind the desk. This is when they decided to take a break!!!!!! I was like are you f***ing kidding me? There are 75 people waiting in line to see if they need to take a bus to another town, book for tomorrow, is there a later flight?? what?? They took a break and were chatting amongst themselves behind the counter! I was absolutely FLABERGASTED!!! Are they stupid? These passengers are stranded in Queenstown, one passenger offered to drive people to Wanaka, a nearby town. I was beyond mad on their behalf, I had a cushion since I allowed an extra day to fly to Thailand. So I went back and got the rental car I had just turned in and we drove back to the hotel we just checked out of to spend another night. Called on the phone and figured out our flights. The connecting flights is what the hard part was. Taking a break when there are 75 people needing help...get real, I was fit-to-be-tied.... I figured I best leave the airport before I shot my mouth off. Absolutely NO customer service what-so-ever.

On a better note......Today is a gorgeous day and the weather is bright and sunny, Yeah Sun!! I love you Sunshine!!

Will post pictures when I can upload from camera. Won't allow me to do so on the airport computer.

Feeling good and ready for the next chapter....

Catching up on things....NZ

Today my mom and I are in Queenstown, NZ. We tried to fly out to Auckland, but our flight was cancelled due to rain and fog, so we leave tomorrow. This computer is about 100 years old and can't upload pictures just yet......

Eating my Words: Everyone has their quirks, things they like or dislike. I don't like black socks. I think they make my feet hot and make feet look bigger. For instance basketball players in the NBA, when they wear black shoes, I think they look slower and bigger footed than the players w/ white shoes. Additionally black socks are anything but sexy. Think of your partner. You are obviously w/ that person bc you are attracted to them. Now think of them standing naked in front of you. Now think of them standing naked in front of you wearing only black socks! Yuck! kills the whole mood. So I just don't care for black socks. I had to buy much warmer clothes in NZ in order not to freeze, part of this included some woolly black socks. I have been wearing them. Warm feet for sure. So I AM right! Black socks keep your feet warmer than white ones.

Additionally, I am not a coffee drinker.. Don't like it. But here they have FLAT WHITE. Flat white is like a cappuccino w/out the foamy stuff on top, hence the FLAT part of it. For some reason, I happen to like this flat white, only if it is made very weak, more milk than coffee, and TONS of sugar.. Seems to fit the mood of the trip for some reason.

Lingo--I forgot at the Farmstay to mention part of their lingo. They asked if I wanted a CUPPA. I asked, "A cup of what?", milk, tea, water, coffee, dish soap, what? what is a CUPPA? CUPPA is tea. A cuppa tea. Got it. So then later in the day, they asked me if I was staying for tea or going into town. I asked if they had tea at specific times bc we just had tea, (the whole Cuppa thing). Well TEA actually stands for "dinner." Right. So in order for me to tell them I would be eating dinner w/ them, I had to stay for tea. So if I wanted a cup of tea I had to ask for a Cuppa and if I wanted dinner I had to ask for tea. Because that makes sense.

Leg Warmers are back!!-- I knew the 80's were still alive. Australian women and NZ women wear tight jeans and tuck them into their dress boots, I knew leg warmers would be next and lo and behold!! Queenstown. Hello leg warmers and Flashdance!! "I'm a Maniac, Maniac...." (song from the movie Flashdance)

Maori tattoos-- I wanted to find a picture to post but haven't' had luck w/ this part. The Maori tradition is to tattoo someone after they have completed a large feat in their life. They use 3 chisels to tattoo the face. One to cut the skin, two to ensure the wound heals in a "V"shape and three to lay the ink. The faces are tattooed. Men have 4 birds: the forehead is the bat, the nose is the parakeet, the cheeks are the kiwi and the chin is the owl. The women also have their lips and chins tattooed, the owl is on the chin for wisdom and protection over the children. The Maori's treat their women w/ respect. They are trying to keep their language and culture alive. They teach Maori at the public schools and educate the public w/the culture shows we have attended.

Beet Root--Australia and NZ alike serve burgers, chicken burgers, steak burgers w/ beet root. It rocks!! I like beets and this is used usually in place of tomatoes.....

Australian Aboriginal Story--Now I don't know how REAL this story is, but this is what I was told. The aboriginals were considered to be livestock up until the 60's. When the whites would be driving in the outback, the aboriginals would rob and/or steal their cars and leave them in the bush. The aboriginals were said to lay down in the dirt roads to stop the vehicles. Now, the story goes, the whites would run over the aboriginals bc they knew they were being tricked to stop and could be robbed. Apparently there was a law that made that legal to run over these people as long as you told the law about it in the next town you came to. "Yeah, Sheriff, four aboriginals down about 30 miles back, but as long as you know about it....." The native peoples in every area so far: Native Americans in US, First Nations in Canada, Aboriginals in Australia, Maori in New Zealand, all have been shit on by the white man. Their land was taken, they were forced to assimilate, their language and religion were not valued or tolerated. They now have alcohol and "petrol sniffing" issues. They try to reclaim their land w/ not much success, they are very poor and uneducated. No true bloodline left. Aboriginals were bred w/ the whites, that is why there is such a range of color amongst them. It is sad. Yes, the English were amazing sailors and discovered continents! Huge success. They were also hogs, diseased, racial and aggressive. I just wanted to make the point that the native peoples seem to have similar treatment and generational issues now.

Dinner at Alice May's, Franz Joseph Glacier, NZ

After our long day on the glacier, we had dinner at Alice May's Cafe....this was the best dinner, best wine, best dessert, best fireplace, best quaint little restaraunt!! We were starving and really enjoyed the whole experience. We found this little tidbit about who Alice May is.....

Alice May--in the early 1900's Alice May became pregnant from her lover, had a stillborn child and he didn't honor their engagement. So she shot him. Four times. Unsucessfully turned the gun on herself. She was imprisoned for 6 years. The locals petitioned to have her released and she eventually was released into the custody of her mother. She remarried a local man, politician or business man or something and had 6 children. Alice May became a household name.

Franz Joseph Glacier, NZ

Franz Joseph Glacier is located in the town also called, Franz Joseph Glacier. The town and the glacier have the same name...So we did a guided glacier tour of Franz Joseph Glacier in Franz Joseph Glacier. :) I like saying that. The tour was for a half day and the areas on the glacier we visited required a guide. Now the tour was rated to be for "agile" folks and to be intermediate level. This tour was freakin' HARD!! Both my mom and I thought it was really tough. It was alot harder than I expected it to be. The bus dropped us off at the carpark and we had about 50 people on our tour. There is a 40 minute walk from the carpark to the base of the glacier through a very wet, muddy, rocky trail and you have to cross a few swift creeks and pretty much get your feet partially wet.

Gear--Now the gear the company issues is waterproof and windproof, but DOES NOT ventilate. Growing up w/ my mom and Larry in Colorado skiing, camping, hiking etc. I have learned to layer my clothing. We both had the correct clothes, but the tour company wants you to wear their clothes just to ensure everyone is properly prepared. They also issue boots bc the boots fit into ice talons or crampons in order to grip the ice. My mother and I both have really small feet. The boots I was issued were 3 sizes too big and felt like I was wearing heavy moon boots the size of Texas. My mom got to keep her hiking boots and they sized her talons to fit her boots. Now, like I said, I have too many layers on during the 40 minute hike/walk part and the guides took off at a quick pace. I honestly couldn't keep up w/ those damn moon boots on!! I was sweating profusely!! I kind of had a bit of a temper tantrum trying to keep up and strip down and walk in those freakin' boots!! I didn't want to get too hot and wet, then get cold at the top. I needed a constant temperature.

Group 1,2 or 3--halfway to the base of the glacier, they split us into 3 groups. Group 1 was for the light-afoot and confident climbers, Group 2 was for the even-paced and moderate speed climbers and Group 3 was for the no-pace, take pictures climbers. We tried to get into Group 3 bc I seriously felt like I could not walk their daddy-long-legs speed!! Plus, my mother is 60 now and didn't want to push her too hard. Well, Group 3 had too many people, so we moved to Group 2.

Base--at the base of the glacier, we had to strap on our ice talons and begin the climb. Again, they split the groups up. Group 1 and Group 2. Same idea. Again we got pushed into Group 1. Now the first part of the climb was TOUGH!! If you had weak ankles, heart problems or asthma, this would NOT be a good adventure. The ice steps were at least knee height and pretty much straight up. We were both breathing hard and sweating! I thought we didn't sign up for the Mt. Everest climb, but apparently we did at that point. Speaking of Mt. Everest, the first man to ever reach the summit of Mt. Everest (the tallest mountain in the world, reaching almost 30,000 feet....near Nepal) was Sir Edmund Hillary, who is from New Zealand. He was deemed "Sir" after his accent. Also by the way, Mt. Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand at 12,000-plus feet, so that means in order for him to train at higher altitudes, he would have had to travel quite far to reach taller mountains....

Back to our version.....we settled into a good pace and our guide also had a pick ax to help clear new steps or calve off threating pieces. Franz Joseph Glacier was named after a the last Hungarian/Austrian Emperor. We still don't know how he is connected to New Zealand, but that is the namesake. The glacier is one of the only glaciers in the world that is growing! Up until 3 years ago, it was receeding and now it grows about 3 meters a day....It is about 60 meters deep and I can't remember how long it is, but at least a couple of miles we think. This glacier is also special bc it is one of the few that come out of the rainforest and practically touch the ocean at 2200 feet altitude. New Zealand and Patagonia are the only two places in the world with glaciers in this category. Additionally there are over 3000 glaciers in New Zealand.

We got to the top and had photo op's, got to crawl on hands and feet through a short rabbithole type of tunnel. One person at a time and you couldn't fit w/ a backpack either, encased in a tube of ice. I was glad it was a short tunnel. We got to climb around, have a snack, take pictures, then make our way down. We both feel like we got a great workout and I am very proud that we did this! It was special to share w/ my mom as well, I am proud of her for keeping up and we rocked in Group 1!! Oh yeah, go Mom, go Holly, go Mom, go Holly!! :) I was soooo thankful we WEREN'T climbing at altitude. I am sure I would have been miserable, having altitude sickness several times, I didn't miss that.

On the way home--we walked leisurely back to the bus and loaded up for the 10 minute drive back to town. I have been asked several times by friends and family if I have been homesick yet and NO I haven't. Until yesterday. I don't know if it was bc I was tired and hungry, but I just kept thinking that after my mom leaves, I could be on my own again. We are hoping Ric can work his schedule to come to Thailand w/ me...which would be awesome. Maybe just being around my mom reminded me of home, but for some reason I got really homesick, missed my kitties, my own bed, Ric, the sun....and not having some sort of ailment every time I turn around. The traveling plays havec on my system...wacked out menstral cycle, suseptible to colds, listless and low energy w/ head colds, reaction to anitbiotics which manifest as female problems....too much info sorry, but these are my experiences. I got really whiney and needy and didn't want to go on, wanted to fly home w/ my mom, scared a little about Thailand and Africa, those will be so different than any other country so far and probably harder to travel. Anyway, I feel better today, after sleeping and rest.

Tasman Sea, West Coast New Zealand

After driving over Aurthur's Pass, we ended up in a town called Hokitika. We had a great view of the Tasman Sea and got there just in time for the sunset. Mom and I shared yummy cheese and crackers and beer that we had bought along our way for snacks. We sat on our balcony and took in the view and just shared time. It was special. We got the giggles and decided to go down to dinner at the restaurant in the hotel, had a great pasta/seafood dish.

Kiwi Box--this is what I have deemed our little food box. I got tired of having snacks rolling around the car in plastic bags (it is much cheaper to buy groceries and keep food w/ me than to eat out all the time, healtier as well)so I bought this little shoe-box size tupperwear thing and decided to call it the Kiwi Box.

Went shopping the next day, and did about 2 hours at an internet cafe to catch up on emails and administrative stuff.

Aurthur's Pass and Bridal Veil Falls Tramp

The ladies are cruizen'!!

We drove the four hour drive over Aurthur's Pass from the east coast to the west coast. It was a windy, mountainess type of drive with beautiful scenery. Got up into more dense rain forest and eventually some snow country. My mom thinks that the snow is quite new and fresh unlike in Colorado you will see deep snow on the peaks that have been there for years. The snow in NZ melts by summer and is new every year. Also, this mountain range, The Southern Alps, seem to have the whole mountain covered by snow, not a "snow-capped" peak look.

Bridal Veil Falls Tramp--we saw from the side of the road, there were several tramp trails that we spotted but I had read about this one ahead of time. It was a very well marked trail, very rocky and slippery tree roots sticking up and wooden bridges covered w/ chicken wire to prevent slipping. We walked about half hour each way. It was quite steep in some places and we both felt like we got a good work out by the end. However, the view point from the final climb was a bit disappointing. The frozen Bridal Veil Falls was much smaller and farther away than we anticipated. However, it was great to get off of the beaten path and see some of the natural world.

Bog Pine-- is a pine tree but looks like it is covered in moss and as if it belonged in a swamp.

Aurthur's Pass--seemed to go through the saddle of the mountain, not right over the top, which for some reason is what I expected. It was a fun day!

Maori and Kiwi Culture Show at Willowbank, Christchurch, NZ

I wanted my mother to experience the Maori culture show and do the kiwi encounter as I had already done. I thought this really gives a great introduction and history of this country. We attended a great culture performance of dancing and singing by the Maori people.

When Maori people greet friends/allies and peaceful foreigners from the Four Winds (people coming from all directions of the world), they press noses and foreheads together. The pressing of the foreheads is to share thoughts and since the mouths are so close, it is the sharing of the breath of life. Men/men, women/men and women/women all do this as a form of greeting one another.

We then had a fabulous dinner and wine by the fireplace. I got to got outside and feed tame deer. My mother had to drag me back in bc I kept feeding handful after handful to these little guys and it was time for our Kiwi Encounter. This encounter also included other native birds.

The Alpine Parrot--would land on our guides shoulder as he was giving his speach about the birds. Alpine Parrots can eat the rubber on your car windows, get into the car, tear up the upholstry! They are protected now and cannot be hunted. The guide would feed this bird spoonfuls of honey, they like very sweet, high in fat foods. We also got to see gorgeous white swans, several Kiwi birds and possums.

Ferrets--are a huge nusiance to NZ, they feed on Kiwi eggs and will kill several birds as well, not just to eat, but for the sport. Ferrets can kill up to 20 birds a night and not eat a single one. It is illegal to own or breed ferrets, you cannot buy these at the pet stores and they are trying to erradicate ferrets and possums.

Possums--however, these possums are quite a bit larger than our north american version. They can be grey or dark brown with a large bushy tail. They do not have a tail like a rat.

Stoats-- are similar to ferrets and are also considered a nusiance to the birds and kiwi eggs.

My Mom is Here! Christchurch and Banks Peninsula

I invited my mother to come to New Zealand for my last week here to do a mother/daughter trip and venture around the South Island together and go exploring! Lots of fun things already!

I called my Grandma from the airport while I was waiting for my mom. Grandma is doing great! She is 83 and doing wonderfully. After my Grandpa's passing this last year, she sounds in great spirits, loves her assisted living center, has friends, parties, walks alot and is now writing a story about a mouse named Courtney Longtail. :) She types it on her computer which she can enlarge a letters to see better, she is on chapter four and thoroughly enthralled in her book. I am so happy she is doing well and she says she has never been happier.

I picked up my mom at the Christchurch airport, she was so excited and didn't seem to have much jetlag. Went back to the hotel to freshen up, this hotel had a great view of Victoria Square in the middle of city centre in Christchurch. Victoria Square has lots of fountains and grass, very pretty. We just hung out in town and went to lunch, came home took a nap, had cheese, crackers and wine and went to bed.

Banks Peninsula--this is an area about 1 hr from Christchurch, Joseph Banks was the botanist on Captain Cook's boat for which the peninsula is named. Akaroa is the name of the town we visited w/ the great view of the water from above. This area is also where the French landed after the British and wanted to claim it as french land. The brits said they could sail back to France or live there under British rule. The French settled and there is a bit of french influence w/ architecture, food and such. But not as much French influence as we were told by the New Zealanders. Akaroa is slow this time of year, so it was a quiet afternoon.

We had a bowl of seafood chowder and beer right on the bay. I got to feed the sparrows and the sea gulls! The sea gulls swarmed me and the sparrows would grab their bread, hop around then come back w/ bread hanging out of their beak acting as if they didn't get any! Too cute. Also had three black cats cross our path and NO, it wasn't the same cat. So, I took it as a good luck sign since there were three.

My mom did bring the sun w/ her bc we have had sun almost every day since she arrived. THANK GOODNESS!

We tried to visit a winery which was the last one on the way to the West Coast, it said it was OPEN but we went in for tastings and no one was around. The wine country seems to be mostly in the middle of the country so we are heading out of that area as we travel south. Martinborough and Hawkes Bay on the North Island, Marlborough and Canterbury are the wine regions on the South Island. This would be a great thing to do during summer, but being a solo driver before my mom came and being sick and all the dead vines right now, wine tasting isn't that appealing. But we are buying bottles along the way from these local regions to have at night.

Catch Phrases--New Zealanders and Australians say things like: Bugga! No worries! Good on you mate! and Happy as Larry! This means being happy to the utmost extent, hmmmmmm....how ironic.

During our trip to Banks Peninsula, we were stopped by a herd of pregnant cows in the road. They were being herded along by a man on a motorcycle and a man in a Ute w/ two dogs....just not an everyday thing to witness. Very cool.

Kaikoura, NZ

I loved being in Kaikoura! I had plans to take a 4-5 hour tramp along the peninsula, but I was basically sick the whole time. I think traveling takes it's toll and if I get the least bit run down I get the cold/flu bug. I had an amazing view from my hotel though!! I did get to go whale watching and cruized around the small town. Kaikoura had a great vibe to it, sort of a one road type of town and feel. I ended up going to see the doctor (twice) bc I wanted antibiotics to rid my system of the bug and also recharge my immune system. Since my mom was coming to Cristchurch in a few days, I didn't want to be sick for our trip and also wanted to be well for Thailand. So I was pretty whiney and feeling sorry for myself, but I did nap and take hot baths etc to get well. Kaikoura also has one of the best coastal drives in the country. It feels like you are driving right on the beach and then the landscape zooms up on the other side of the road into huge, green, lush hills. I assume they are considered to be mountains, but since I am from the Rocky Mountains and those are so vast, these aren't that large and so I will call them hills at this point. They are bigger than hills and smaller than mountains, how's that? Lots of dense ferns, palms and green shrubbery.

The ferns have a type of spiral looking arm that grows when a new arm is growing. The green ones are gorgeous and the one I took a picture of is a dead version, since it is winter, I can't find a green one to photo. There is another type of fern here, the Silver Fern. It is green on the top side and silver underneath. It reflects the moonlight and the Maori's used this to navigate through the rain forests. The Silver Fern is also the national symbol for New Zealand, it looks like a fern leaf.

Other facts about New Zealand:

There are no native snakes here, you cannot own, breed, import, have a pet of any type of snake whatsoever.

Trout--the government wants to keep trout as a game fish so you cannot order trout at a restaurant. The only way to get trout is to fish for it and catch it yourself.