Christchurch

After a month of sleeping in bunk beds, I’m finally making it out of the hostels! I found a place to live here in Christchurch only 5 minutes walk from city center. It will be my first time living in the middle of a large city. Hopefully I won’t go stir crazy. ;o) I’ll be sharing a large room in the “Somerset House,” which was built in 1910. The place is massive with 10 rooms! I think there are 14-15 people living there right now, so I doubt I’ll get lonely.

No bites on jobs, but I won’t be giving up anytime soon. I figure I’ve only been in Christchurch a week and although the temp agencies seem to be giving everyone the runaround, I’m confident I will find something on my own. I just can’t be picky! Besides job and house hunting, my days have been relatively uneventful. I seem to be doing a lot of lounging and reading. I’ve started “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and hope to finish it before the last movie comes out. I’m starting to get into rugby, which is a HUGE sport here and everywhere else but the US! Kiwis are far more passionate about rugby than Americans are about any other sport. Everyone watches it and no little boy’s childhood would be complete without playing it. The sport is actually quite comical at times, but that’s mostly because I have no idea what they are doing. I’ll eventually learn the rules of the game.

I spent a weekend in Kaikoura with two friends. The beach was amazing. The mountains descend right into the ocean! There were some cool rock formations and tide pools with surprisingly little invertebrate life. On Sunday, we hiked along the beach. We were supposed to do a loop trail, starting off along the shore during low tide and walking along the hill of the peninsula at high tide. Two hours into it, we encountered a sea lion colony that was pretty adamant about not letting us pass. Unfortunately, it was a little late to turn back because high tide was beginning. Our only other choice was up, so we scaled a steep hill. I’m pretty sure we weren’t the only people the sea lions didn’t like because there was a small trail leading up the hill joining the latter part of the trail that we would have eventually come to had the sea lions allowed us to continue along the shore. Along the way, we saw many sheep, cows, and goats. The goats are gutless! They were walking along cliffs and rocks as if they could fly! Driving in Kaikoura was also my first time driving on the left side of the road. The first time I got into the driver’s seat, I reached over my left shoulder to put on my seatbelt and grabbed a fistful of air. There was also the occasional turn signaling with the windshield wipers and wiper fluid. I eventually got the hang of it.

Hanging out in Queenstown

The past week hasn't been as exciting and adventurous as detailed in my last email, but that's ok. I'm still resting up!

I have met so many people from different countries at the hostel where I'm staying. Granted, most of them are from England, but there are a few from other countries; Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Canada, Norway and Australia. Most are just traveling through rather than staying for a year, so it is sad to see them go. I'm learning a lot from them all and we tease each other in our sayings and pronunciations. I'm still pretty slow at understanding the accents, but I'm getting better and am actually noticing a slight change in my own sayings and accent.

Today, seven of us went for a hike up to Queenstown Hill. It was only a few hours hike, but it was quite steep and icy in some spots. Nevertheless, it gave a 360 degree view of the surrounding areas including the snowcapped Remarkables (mountain range), Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown. It's starting to get really cold here, but no snow yet. The ski resorts have already postponed opening day 3 times! It's been a really dry year, although it doesn't seem like it to me. The lack of rain the past few months have caused NZ to be in a bit of a power crisis (a lot, if not most of their electricity comes from hydropower). The past week and a half has mostly been spent looking for a job and a place to live. I get the same answer for jobs....basically not hiring until the ski season kicks in. However, I stumbled upon a birdpark that focuses on rehabilitation and conservation, among other things. They said they didn't have any jobs at the moment, but may have a position opening if they are approved for a kiwi (endangered endemic bird species and national icon) breeding program. They said Icould volunteer for now and if they get approved, I would get the job. So I have spent the past few days shadowing the keepers and helping out with feeding rounds. Unfortunately, accommodation and the uncertainty of the job (or any job for that matter!) is forcing me to move on. I will be moving up to Christchurch (largest south island city) where I know I will be able to find a job and a flat. The good news is I now have New Zealand references and one of the keepers is hooking me up with names, numbers, and email addresses of people he knows at aquariums, zoos/wildlife parks, and within the department of conservation (DOC-equivalent to our Fish and Wildlife and Forest Services). I don't think I'll get a job right away with any of these places, but at least I'll be able to volunteer and get my foot in the door!

Nothing much else has happened the past week. I was able to get out of town two days ago to rock climb at an indoor gym with a few guys from my hostel. It was tiny compared to the Rocknasium, but the price was right! Our ride didn't stay with us, so we hitchhiked home. Fortunately for us, hitchhiking is a very common and SAFE thing to do here! :o) Don't worry, I would never consider it in the US.

Lessons learned

When a cute boy asks you if you want to go tramping for 4 days in the back country, DO NOT fall for his puppy dog eyes and kiwi accent!!! When he says the track will be nice and easy, this is by New Zealand standards only. For us Americans, this means nice and hard!!

By now, you should have an idea how this is going to go. The past 4 days and 3 nights on the Greenstone and Routeburn Track have been one of the most challenging experiences of my life. On Thursday night, I met a guy in the communal room of my hostel. We did the typical chat, "Where are you from, what do you do, what are you doing here..." and he invited me to go tramping in the bush. I know, I know. It sounds dirty. But the translation is backpacking in the forest. It took me all of 5 seconds to make my decision. Afterall, what am I here for?. Had I known what was to come, I would have thought about it A LOT harder.

There is no way for me to convey what this experience was like in writing, but here is a summary; In four days, I have climbed two mountains, trudged through swamps, rock hopped (I thankfully still have both of my ankles), slipped on a mudslide, waded through streams, walked through rainforest and subalpine terrain, crossed many wire suspended bridges, leaped and ducked over and under and over and under logs, boulders, and bushes, and tiptoed across ledges. I encountered almost all weather elements possible at this time of year including gail forced winds, hail, thunder, lightning, rain, rain, rain, rainbows galore, and one lucky day of sunshine. I saw more waterfalls than I could have counted, scenery I thought was only possible through digitally enhanced movies, snow capped peaks, alpine lakes, mountain parrots and of course cows and sheep. The only wild mammal I saw was a lone rabbit in which my kiwi friend said he'd shoot if he had a gun. Tomtits were the most abundant birds I saw. They are quite curious and will hop right up to your feet. I saw but two worms on the entire trail and other than the mosquitoes at night, were the only invertebrates I encountered. I lived off of ramen noodles, crackers, granola bars and drank directly from streams. One hundred and six kilometers later, I am still alive, but my entire body aches including what little muscle I have on the bottom of my feet. Let me just say, New Zealanders are CRAZY!!! When I was climbing a summit in wind and hail wearing two layers of clothing and all the waterproofness I had, there were guys and gals wearing shorts and a rain coat. SHORTS!!! Why??? I'm still asking myself this.

After trudging with wet feet, no showers and four days of life essentials on my back, getting back into a town of a couple thousand people and sleeping in a hostel seems like paradise on Earth! Despite being on the verge of an emotional breakdown by the third day, I look back on this adventure with satisfaction. If I could do it over again, I would...but it would take quite a bit more of convincing. Afterall, I came to New Zealand to experience new things. Without doing the work and taking chances, this is not possible. And even though I have experienced a lot in the past four days, I can't help feeling I've only just begun.