Me and My Thoughts

It's my last day in NZ. My flight leaves in seven hours so I'll some time to kill before I have to make it to the airport. Which will give me the perfect opportunity to publish my last post. I have one journal entry and then a bunch of lists and random stuff.

January 21st ?PM

I had the intention of going bouldering but instead ended up mountain biking. I made breakfast and then had a "long black" coffee at a cafe before I rented a bike* for the day.

*The mountain bike I rented was a 17" Specialized hardtail. It's chain severly needed to be oiled, the tires were almost bald and the chain came off twice, but otherwise it was a fine ride. I really had fun mountain biking and am convinced I'm going to buy one when I get back to the States.

The boulders are located in Luggate which is almost directly East from Wanaka. I decided to take a bit of a detour by going around Lake Wanaka on the trail that contoured it instead of taking the road. The trail ends in Albert Town at the Clutha River. From here, I tried following the Clutha River to Luggate but there was no trail (that a DOC employee asured me there was) that connected Albert Town to Luggate. So I tried going along the road but got confused and turned back to where I started from.
Eventually, I came to a suspension bridge and encountered a family of mountain bikers. I asked Dad which way to Luggate. He was unsure but Mom definitely knew it was in the opposite direction I was going. She happily informed me that Lake Hawea is only 10 km along this trail. Instead of backtracking, I decided to completely abandon my plan to go bouldering and instead follow the trail to Lake Hawea.

I arrived at Lake Hawea thankful to be able to rest my sore butt. I opened my bag to pull out my lunch only to discover that it wasn't there. I forgot my lunch at the hostel.

I fought an urge to break something and instead just sat at the lakeside for a whole. I weighed my options. A: Go back on the trail. B: Go back on the road. I figured the road was shorter so I went with option B.

The road turned out to have a few massive hills. I pumped away, barely crawling up the asphalt behemoths as cars whizzed past. A sign came into view. "Wanaka 15km" it read. "Okay" I said to myself "I can do that."

I did. It took me a while and I had to rest occasionaly due to my sore right knee that was acting up, but I made it. In total, the trip turned out to be around 40km. For the rest of the evening I cooked dinner, watched Zombieland at the local cinema and drank many beers. It was a good day and I am certainly aware of how my time in NZ is quickly coming to a close. I've got to enjoy it while I can.

My Impression of New Zealand

It's strange how much this country reminds me of so many different places. In a lot of ways it reminds me of home. It is pretty much on the mirror opposite part of the globe. I do believe if you kept digging a hole in WA you would eventually reach NZ.

Just in case I haven't made it obvious, I love this country. Outdoor pursuits are varied and plentiful and NZ is set up to cater to them. That is the most prominent reason. It also helps that all the scenery is gorgeous.

Alas, it is not perfect. It's hard to find a good beer. There are way too many tourists. Despite it being a small country, timely travel doesn't really exist because the roads wind indirectly around the mountain ranges. Hostels, although numerous, aren't very community oriented which makes the rare solo traveler somewhat of an oddity. There's only one used bookstore and it's in Queenstown and it's never open. The towns aren't very pedestrian friendly. And let's not forget about the sandflies, which are capable of ruining otherwise enjoyable moments.

But that's it really. I had to think about this list for a while and that was all I came up with. As I said before I love this country and have given some serious thought as to how I can come back for another visit or even take up residence for a while. One month is just not enough time here and I'd love to come during the off-season when tourists and sandflies aren't a at every turn.

Lists

Favorites:

Favorite Town: Wanaka. The cinema is really the clincher. Te Anau was nice but Wanaka has more to do.

Favorite Track: Gillespie Circuit out of Makarora. While I only got to see the Wilkin River Valley, it was mightily impressive. When I come back I will surely plan to do the entire circuit.

Favorite Beer: Mac's Pilsner. It was one of the few that had any flavor. The Greenman IPA was interesting with it's Belgian yeasts but Mac's was much more drinkable.

Favorite Place to Eat: Kai Kart edges out Kim's Korean Barbecue. I'm a sucker for fried food and Kai Kart is sinful.

Favorite Tree: The lancewood. After 15 years it gets to about 10 feet tall, is super straight and is about as thick as my thumb. It's leaves are long, narrow, spiky and tough (so the now extinct moa [giant ostrich like bird] would be discouraged from nibbling on them). A few years later softer, shorter and spike free leaves develop at the top (out of reach of the moa). After 50 years it looks like a normal deciduous tree with a normal canopy. It's the craziest development cycle for a tree I've ever heard of. Another fact: It's called lancewood because the Maori used them for lances since it's trunk is very tough and arrow straight.

Things I Wish I Had Done Differently

1. I wish I had swam more.
2. I regret not flying into Queenstown and out of Nelson.
3. I regret I didn't get a chance to climb.
4. I maybe should have rented a car.
5. I should have gone mountain biking more.
6. I definitely should have alotted more rest days.
7. I wish I had time to go to the North Island and learn how to surf.
8. Maybe I should have brought my fly rod...
9. A day on Stewart Island was all I needed.

My Thoughts on Independant Travel

I'm glad I did it and I'm glad I did it by myself. It's good to know I can do this sort of thing. However, I would much rather travel with somebody next time.

I liked having all the down time. When I wasn't voraciously reading I spent time reflecting on my day by writing in my journal and when I wasn't doing either of those activities I was thinking about my life in general. I don't often have time to think when I'm so distracted by a working life routine. Sure I get out occasionally for a hike or an overnight trip in woods by myself but never have I had a month entirely to myself. Hell, I even had to share my nine months in the womb (I'm a twin for those who aren't aware).

Being on my own schedule was good but it's not such a big priority for me. I just don't see too many arguments occuring about seeing or not seeing one place or another. I suppose it's possible I opened up more to people I wouldn't normally interact with if I was around my friends but, for the most part, it was pretty isolating traveling alone. I only met a handful of other people who came out here completely by themselves. Most people who were by themselves started out with friends and opted to stay longer. When talking to someone who had been traveling in South America before NZ, she said it was the other way around. At the hostels it was more of a community experience because the majority of travelers were solo.

In conversations with other people who had travelled alone iw was pretty much agreed that it isn't ideal because there is a sharing of experiences that just doesn't happen. You can't have some beers with a friend and say "Hey, you remember in NZ when..." Instead you have to tell someone "So I was in NZ when..." And there's nothing wrong with stories. As most people know I love telling stories. But everything that has happened here, all that I've seen, done, experienced, suffered through, enjoyed and all the hours I whiled away are all right here with me. Even with all the photos and copious postings of notes* someone might understand ten percent of this trip. While if that same person was here, they would know.

*I have never in my life been this diligent with a journal so I'm going to pat myself on the back for that. I usually start out well enough but soon fail to keep it going. This time it was easy because I wasn't very distracted. It was just me and my thoughts.