Wild West

Just a quick update to keep our mothers from worrying about us...

After leaving Wanaka, we headed to the West Coast of the South Island. This region is very wild and isolated, much like a bigger, more rugged version of California's Big Sur area...a perfect place to take a few days and let the adrenaline rush from skydiving wear off. The whole south and west part of the South Island is actually very remote. Today we figured out we've went 17 days without seeing a single stoplight.

We've spent the last week taking it easy. Dustin's been doing some fishing and Rachel has been hiking a bunch (while Dustin's fishing). We even got one day of surfing in before the rain and wind picked up.

Another first for the trip-we completely lucked out and fell into some great fishing. Up until now we've really had to work hard for every fish we've caught.

We made a quick stop at a river mouth near Bruce Bay to check the surf one evening. After watching the small surf for awhile we were about to leave when Dustin noticed a school of large fish feeding in the breaking waves. We rigged up the fishing rod and were quickly catching many of these mystery fish. They were 8-10lbs, looked similar to a stripped bass, and put up a great fight. We caught over 20 in less than 2hrs and kept 2 for dinner. As we were leaving we figured we should ask a local what they were and whether they were ok to eat. We noticed a small group of people outside one of the houses along the road so we decided to pull over. Before Dustin could get a word out, the oldest guy in the group (easily in his seventies), insisted we join them for a drink. Turns out him and his wife were celebrating their 48th wedding anniversary. We spent a couple of hours celebrating with them, enjoying homemade meat pies, drinking moonshine, and talking about hunting, fishing, and West Coast life. As we were leaving, Tex (the man of the hour) sent us off with a bottle of his homemade gin. (Note: The mystery fish turned out to be kahawai and were great eating.)

In the three days since we've been hiding out from the rain, drinking coffee, reading, and working on polishing off Tex's bottle of gin....a rough life.

Embrace the Fear

I must not fear, fear is the mind killer.

Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.

I will face my fear.

I will permit it to pass over and through me.

And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.

Only I will remain.

-Frank Herbert

We arrived into Wanaka last night. It has the same beautiful scenery as Queenstown but is not as touristy...our kind of town. Feeling the need for an adrenaline rush after leaving Queenstown somewhat empty-handed, we decided instead of bungy jumping why not jump out of a plane?!?! As we were walking through town we noticed there was a discount on skydiving (along with the catchy ad phrase above). We're not sure what came over Rachel, as it was merely a laughable suggestion, but she agreed. Numerous scenarios popped in and out of Rachel's mind (Dustin was feeding quite a few of them) and second thoughts on whether this was a good idea were lingering in the air.

After confirming the booking it was a done deal, no turning back now. We arrived to the Wanaka airport a half hour early. So, we sat and waited while the anticipation/anxiety took over. Finally, after watching our 3 minute safety video and suiting up in a one-piece and harness we headed for the plane. Once inside the plane our tandem partner gave us the final low-down on what would take place. As the plane left the ground we could see Mt. Aspiring, Mt. Cook, the Clutha River all of which made for some amazing views. (Rachel: The nerves were taking over and I couldn't focus on the beautiful scenery just that I was about to throw myself out of the plane).

As soon as the red light came on (which meant ok to jump) we scooted ourselves to the edge of the plane. Harnessed to our jump master they dangled you over the edge prior to the freefall. Then, all of a sudden, we were falling from 12,000 feet up. Insane! After 45 seconds of freefall the parachute was released and we gently floated back to solid ground. What an adrenaline rush! We figure we'll need a few days to relax and recover from this....Rachel has been talking non-stop and hasn't been able to sit still since we've been on the ground. She's like a crazed circus monkey.

Queenstown & The Routeburn Tramp

After arriving into Queenstown we spent a few days exploring the city and preparing for the Routeburn Tramp. Although, it's a little touristy for our liking, the more time we spent in Queenstown, the more we enjoyed it. The city is set in the middle of some beautiful scenery, with the Remarkables Mountain Range and Lake Wakatipu right at the edge of town. Queenstown is known as the "Adventure Capital of the World", offering just about any extreme sport you can imagine, from bungy jumping to river surfing and everything in between...all coming with a hefty price tag. After going back and forth for a day, Rachel built up the courage to go bungy jumping...unfortunately, there were no openings before our departure to the Routeburn. (Don't worry we will go before we leave NZ-keep the positive vibes coming).

Queenstown at night:As sad as it is, one of our favorite parts of Queenstown was the amazing Fergburger. We know you can get great burgers back in the U.S and it's crazy to travel halfway around the world for a hamburger, but the burgers at Fergburger were OUTSTANDING. Check out the pictures for details (vegetarians may want to skip them), but this place rivals Chipotle for cheap, quality, filling meals, and everyone knows how much we enjoy Chipotle. Just don't ask how many times we ate there during our three days in Queenstown.

On to the Routeburn...

After fueling up at Fergburger we caught our 12:15pm departure for the Routeburn Trailhead. We arrived at the trailhead, along with a few other anxious trampers, and began our trek in. Knowing we had a very short hike to our first camp - 2hrs - we took our time and really enjoyed the beautiful surroundings. Our campsite for the night was situated along the river - from the tent you could see snow-capped mountains and glaciers. We awoke the next morning, Valentine's Day, to frost on the tent and ground. After wolfing down a granola bar & apple we got an early start. After 3 hours of straight climbing we reached the Harris Saddle day shelter. From here, we ditched our packs and climbed to the summit for some amazing views through Hollyford Valley all the way to the Tasman Sea. After lunch we continued on to our next destination, Mackenzie Lake, to set up camp. We enjoyed our V-Day by hiking 7 hours in some incredible scenery that rivals anything in Yosemite. While camped at Mackenzie Lake we met a few other travelers taking their "gap year". Two from Germany, one from Israel, and one from the U.S (the first we've met from the States that is on an extended trip). Since we didn't bring a stove, our Valentine's Day dinner consisted of beef jerky, salami, cheese, crackers, canned tuna, and peanuts. Dustin thinks this should be a V-Day tradition, Rachel isn't convinced...

Day 3: We made our way from Lake Mackenzie to another peak to catch glimpses of Lake Marian-when the clouds parted. A few more hours of downhill hiking and we were done with the trek. Including the side trips up the peaks, we hiked about 23 miles, nothing too intense, but a fun 3-day tramp.

Having to reserve our spot weeks ahead of time, we were a little worried about the weather. We had heard stories of people hiking through three days of rain and seeing nothing but clouds and fog. On this tramp, we finally lucked out and couldn't have asked for better weather...not a drop of rain during the entire trek. The first two days we had cloudless skies and the third was partly cloudy...perfect trekking conditions.

After one last Fergburger to celebrate our completion of the trek, we're on our way out of Queenstown headed up the West Coast in search of some surf. Having been away from the ocean for awhile now, we are anxious to get back in the water and find some waves.

The South of the South Island

We finally arrived in Dunedin on Feb 3rd. Dunedin is a mid-sized college town built on rolling hills overlooking a large inlet and rocky coastline. After a quick stop at Speight's Brewery to reserve a spot on the evening tour, we headed for St. Clair Beach to check out the local surf spot. Only Dustin braved the long paddle to the break through endless lines of whitewash and strong currents. He was rewarded with a few very fast, head high waves along with plenty of breaking waves to the head.

After a few days of relaxing and exploring what has been our favorite city in New Zealand, we headed out to the peninsula to locate a remote surf break. This picturesque spot has been on our minds since the moment we first saw it on the cover of a "Surfers Journal" magazine....Although they didn't reveal the location, after lots of research and a few wrong turns we finally found it. There was no surf when we arrived (continuing our luck with the surf), but the spot was so beautiful we decided to spend a day there to relax. We left the next day but vowed to return when there is a nice northeast swell pealing into the bay.
From Dunedin, we headed southwest to Gore, the "Brown Trout Capital of the World". All it took was a little local knowledge and we were finally catching fish. In two days we caught over 30 fish, most in the 18-22" range. We even kept a few for a great trout dinner.

After catching enough fish to make our arms sore, we drove to Te Anau - gateway to Milford Sound and Fjordland National Park. Yesterday we hiked a small length of the Kepler Trek, one of New Zealand's "Great Walks", through lush forest along Lake Te Anau. It was a beautiful hike and got us excited for our upcoming tramp.
After a homemade dinner of NZ green mussels and steak last night to celebrate one month of traveling (Has it been that long already?), we headed to Milford Sound this morning. The rain, which is becoming the theme of our trip so far, started up again. This time it was actually welcomed as it had the waterfalls flowing in full force. The rain and fog created a mystical atmosphere and also made for some slippery tramping in the sound.
From here we're headed to Queenstown for the three-day Routeburn tramp, another of the "Great Walks", which we'll start on the 13th. We may even go for a bungy jump while in Queenstown if Rachel can summon the courage (Feel free to send encouragements, no warnings please).

"Brokedown Bongo"

We are discovering the real joys of traveling...

Having spent the last week working our way through the mountains and small towns along the coast we were anxious to arrive in Dunedin. We left the Moeraki Boulders early Monday morning to make it to Dunedin, home to many great pubs, in time for the Superbowl. (Due to the International Dateline & time difference, the Superbowl was on at 12:30pm Monday) As we headed south we hatched great plans for our time in Dunedin...watch the Superbowl at a proper pub, tour the Speight's Brewery, and hopefully get a quick surf in before dark. All grand plans and then it happened...Bongo died and came to a complete stop on the highway.

After several attempts to revive her and a quick look under the seat (engine is located here), we call AA for the 2nd time on the trip. This time it was the cam belt that broke. As we were towed into Palmerston (another tiny town) our thoughts of great brew pubs and shandys vanished. Since the Superbowl was priority we headed to the one bar in town only to find it closed. After asking 4 locals where we could watch the game and none of them knowing what the Superbowl was or what sport was involved, we were losing hope. Luckily, the one restaurant in town had a TV and found the game for us. Unfortunately, they closed at 3pm which ended up being midway through the 3rd quarter, so we missed the end of the game.

Back to Bongo...since none of the small towns stock any parts, we learned it would be at least a day before we could get back on the road. For those in MN imagine being stuck in Bovey for 24hrs, but with no bars open. There was nothing to do in this town. After several laps around town we gave up and broke out the cards for a mean game of gin rummy.

The next day Bongo was fixed and we were on the road again. The good news is parts and labor are very cheap here so Bongo's side trips to the mechanics aren't costing very much. From now on, Bongo will only be referred to as "Bongo the Terrible".

Continuing South

Picking up where we left off...
The great conditions only lasted for two more surf sessions before the wind and rain picked up again, so we decided to head two hours inland to some natural hot springs located in the mountains west of town. After a relaxing day spent soaking in the hot springs while it rained, we were lured back to the coast by the forecasted arrival of another swell. We waited around town for three days, fueled by the adrenaline of the perfect surf session we had on Monday night. We spent the time going for hikes, fishing the ocean (unsuccessfully) and mostly just relaxing. Sticking around was easy since we found a great spot to camp on the beach. After three days of messy knee-waist high surf we finally gave up the wait and continued our trek south.
After stops in the French village of Akoroa (hiking), Lake Tekapo (swimming and more unsuccessful fishing) and Mt. Cook National Park (beautiful scenery, lots of rain, and great hiking) we're on our way to Dunedin where we'll hopefully find some surf. If there's no surf, at least there are a few great breweries in town to tour.
A few random thoughts/comments:

• We haven't seen any hobbits yet, but plenty of sheep...they say there's 20 sheep in NZ for every person.
• We haven't had any trouble adjusting to life in the van...living on our boat was probably good preparation.
• We have watched hardly any TV since leaving. Our time on the internet is spent emailing, checking surf forecasts, and making reservations, therefore we're not quite up-to-date on what's happening in the news, especially in the US.
• We occasionally pick up a newspaper to read what little coverage there is of what's happening back home.
• The overseas media coverage of Obama is surprisingly pessimistic, maybe even a little harsh...a far cry from the liberal US media's coverage
• With the downtime waiting for the surf to pick up, Rachel's gin rummy skills have improved significantly
• Fun fact: Two species of bats are the only land mammals native to New Zealand
• We haven't caught as many fish or waves as we'd like...the weather hasn't cooperated much for the surf and lack of skill/knowledge/luck has made for many hours of fishing with little to show for it.

Even though the fishing and surfing have been tough, we're having a great time and feel incredibly blessed to be on this adventure.