This one is for bovineone and all the cows. Udderly Delightful!

Last night as we relaxed at Amy and Greg's flat, we all stated what our favorite activity was -
By and large it was canyoning. The challenges, the patience and expertise of our guide made it surpass the rest by far.

Amy asked what was the SECOND favorite place to stay, since we all agreed Le Bons Bay Backpackers was the best! We even tried booking a night there this weekend so we could enjoy more gourmet dining. Most of us agreed that the Mountain Cottage was our second favorite, if only because we had the cottage to ourselves, almost seeming to be a "vacation from our vacation" - no vying for showers or toilets with other travellers.

Tonight is Saturday, and Pam Champagne, who is currently working in Sydney, is in town this weekend visiting Amy and Greg. So Amy, Pam and I hit the Lytleton Farmers Market this morning for fresh vegetables, cheeses, and Belgian hot chocolate. Most excellent, especially with the rain!
Next we went to the Arts Centre for the Art and Craft Market in Christchurch. A lot of last minute shopping for souvenirs and gifts for friends back home, tasty crepes for breakfast and one last flat white from the Backstage before wrapping up the afternoon.

Now it's time to pack, and relax with some NZ wine, mushroom pizza, and Fellowship of the Ring.

I might post once more before the flight, but if not, see you all at home soon!

luv,
snax

A couple more full days -
Yesterday we left the Birdsong Hostel and drove into Hokitika. Shopping for jade, at a great co-op, and then lunch at Cafe de Paris Brasserie.

On our way out, we checked out the "spooky" road that the guys had driven the night before - lots of creepy abandoned buildings, including an interesting sign "Beware of Elderly Residents". Would make a great setting/theme for a survivalist horror flick.

Heidi, Decibel, and I headed on up the West Coast, to the Pancake Rocks. We missed high tide which didn't really matter since the sea was a bit calm for blowholes to be impressive. I had an interesting Sir Robin moment, thanks to a couple of wekas.

We left the coast and headed inland to Arthur's Pass, gorgeous but a bit confining due to the narrowness of the pass. We all stayed in a 3 bedroom cottage, with a nice roasty fire. Good dinner thanks to Doppler, and then more wine and music.

Today was our last day on the road - we packed up and before leaving the pass we hiked up the Punchbowl Falls track and then the Bridal Veils Falls. Lunch in Springfield - no Simpsons there! - and then back to Christchurch.

Quick beers at Dux de Lux, and then dinner at the Joyful Chinese restaurant. Most businesses and restaurants are closed today since it is Good Friday, the closest it comes to Christmas closings in this country.

time to run, internet access limited!

We had a great day on Franz Josef Glacier - lots of photos and video evidence of us climbing through ice crevasses, over pools, across the glacier. The helicopter ride was impressive!

So odd to spend the day on the ice, and the evening on the beach - we arrived to Hokitika at 6pm, right before sunset. We are staying at a lovely BBH called Birdsong, and the manager/owner Neil is a blast! After a tasty pasta dinner Heidi and I cooked, we took a stroll down to the Glow Worm Dell. Like tiny little stars shining in the fern covered grotto, although it's from a mucous producing fly larvae. Still interesting, and now we are relaxing in the lounge drinking wine and playing games.

Tomorrow we'll spend a little time in town shopping for jade, checking out the kiwi exhibit, and just walking on the beach. Then off to The Pancake Rocks and then on to Arthur's Pass.

Today was a full day of driving -
Rolled out of Wanaka after 10 am, drove past Lake Hawaea and into the gorgeous Mt. Aspiring National Park. The Blue Pools were awesome, with a very rickety hanging bridge to walk across! decibel45 was almost eaten alive by sand flies, so I bought him a bumper sticker:

"I survived the sand flies in Haast, New Zealand".

More blue cod fish and chips, and then we hit the West Coast. Drove up past the Fox Glacier, and now we are in Franz Josef staying in a nice studio unit at the lovely and wonderful Glow Worm Cottages - a far cry from the awful Holiday Park in Wanaka. amyrtw had mapped out all of our lodging, and this was the one she trusted the guidebook for - she's going to write the guidebook and give a poor report. *shudders*

Where was I? Oh, I am on the Internet Bus, and yes ginger931, I've taken pictures. It's a painted red hippy trippy bus, with cool lighting and music as we tap tap away.

Speaking of pictures-
I've taken several for lj friends to enjoy, including soopageek and ginger931. Of course then I had to explain to my travel companions the stories of welfy and soopageek and how they met, and how ginger931 has kept me motivated to blog - more than my travel companions, I assure you, which is quite the opposite of our behaviors.

Time to wander off, the free tasty vegetable soup at the hostel is calling, and then I hear there is a tasty Indian restaurant down the street - plus 8 minutes more and it's another TWO dollars for internet.

Oh, and tomorrow??

Heli-hiking on the Franz Josef Glacier, and then off to Hokitika.

P.S. Catch phrases of the trip, including movie quotes:

"You can DOOOOO it!!!"
"Oooooh, SHINY!"
"Take it down a notch from eleven."
"Tired bull."
"Where's the beer?!!"
"Happy hour from 9-10 pm, and then unhappy hour begins."
"No jam? Damn. We got bread, no jelly. Cereal, no milk."
(revised from "No sugar? Damn. Y'all ain't never got two things that match. Either ya got Kool-aid, no sugar. Peanut butter, no jelly. Ham, no burger. Daaamn.)

OMG - We spent the day canyoning down the Niger Stream, outside of Wanaka. Canyoning consists of abseiling i.e., rappelling down sheer rock walls and waterfalls, and landing in icy cold pools. We went down rock slides, bottom first, forward facing and diving into a pool. My upper body is sore, and I'm exhausted but exhilarated by how I managed to challenge myself today. Several times I thought "Can I do this??!", and with only a few seconds hesitation, DID it!
Much more to say, but dinner is waiting - tomorrow we are off to Franz Josef Glacier, and then heli-hiking on the glacier.
I'm going to sleep like a rock tonight.

We are staying in beautiful Wanaka, with a beautiful view of the lake. Accomodations aren't as luxurious as our past, but cheap and easy to tolerate since we aren't stuck inside due to rain. Clear skies, a little rain last night but just enough to feed the rivers.

I left a bra on the bra fence along the road here, pictures to come - I autographed it, and wrote: "Everything really IS BIGGER IN TEXAS!!

We are now in Queenstown, about to leave on a jetboat and whitewater rafting trip in half an hour. We split up for lunch so folks could eat what they wanted - Greg and Amy stopped for Thai, Deci, Heidi and I are at a lovely little cafe where Deci could FINALLY get his chai so he's happy, and Cow and Doppler hit the - *shudders* - McDonald's.

I am excited that we will be rafting down the Kawarau River, which was the scene for the Andouin in LOTR. Unfortunately Argonath was digitally added, so we won't see the Pillars of the Kings :P
Doppler, Amy, and Greg are rafting the more challenging Shotover River, while the rest of us are only jetboating the Shotover.

Time to run, less than 20 minutes to eat!

I *think* that it is Friday here, which means it's still Thursday where all my friends and family are. First real access to internet since Christchurch - we spent two days in Le Bons Bay, a gorgeous hostel despite pea soup weather. The dinners were incredible, a true gourmet delight! Slow roasted lamb, spanakopita, salads fresh out of the garden. Every morning I picked fresh raspberries to have with my WheatBix with honey.

Now I'm looking at a spectacular view of Mt. Cook, the rain has broken and there's a beautiful blue sky with a rainbow over the valley. Waiting for the late risers to finish breakfast so we can hit the trail for a four hour hike. We are staying at one of the HI hostels in Akaroa/Mt. Cook region, with a full kitchen which buzzes like a bee hive around dinnertime. After two meals, I've learned which stove and cooking area is the prime location out of the traffic area.

Time to run, off to Red Tarns Track/Kea Point - maybe a glacier and swingbridges!!