ok, so I may be having a nice time.
Tranz-Alpine railway a great introduction to NZ mountainscapes. Stayed at the poshest hostel (felt more like a small hunting lodge, complete with guy writing a novel and reading Kerouac by the log fire.) I've been at - Global Village - and free bikes.
Then the bus (driver a little too cool for school, but otherwise OK) to Franz Josef glacier (via Ross, a small unremarkable town reknowned throughout New Zealand for the quality of its gold). Glaciers! That's what I wanted. Went iceclimbing. Terrible, terrible technique but got up all six pitches (the last really really messily). H if you're going to Scotland again, baggsy in. Beautiful blue glacier ice river goodness. Wandered into the woods, saw a valley (small but fairy-cool) of glow-worms and guided some torchless people back out (with red definitely better for night vision ta M torch). Decided not to mention my last guiding people through darkened woods experience to them ...
Another crack of dawn start (downside of buses) with a more reasonable driver to Queenstown. Making stops at all the places I'm going to be wanting to come back to for lots of weeks. Pointy bits, half kilometre deep lakes. And have a vague plan about climbing Mt Cooke sometime much later and a lot more experience down the line. Nice bunch of people at the hostel. Threw myself off a cliff, but didn't feel near death, more a blimey, that ground's moving quite fast, oh it isn't. Think that may be due to feeling secure when falling off stuff in a harness. Or my adrenal gland may be asleep.
Caught up with E's mate E and bloke in Dunedin, stayed with them the night, watched penguins pobbling out of the water and past us along the beach (not many - v high tides, v little beach). E sometimes acts as penguin police there to stop people hassling them, but had loads of work work to do that night.
Got to Kaikoura, where I'm hoping to play with ceteceans of different sizes, weather and wild animals permitting. Then maybe wave at M&L in Wellington on the weekend. (I'm about to ring if you read this before I do, as I'm guessing you could have a far more important visitor to worry about).
Then the bus (driver a little too cool for school, but otherwise OK) to Franz Josef glacier (via Ross, a small unremarkable town reknowned throughout New Zealand for the quality of its gold). Glaciers! That's what I wanted. Went iceclimbing. Terrible, terrible technique but got up all six pitches (the last really really messily). H if you're going to Scotland again, baggsy in. Beautiful blue glacier ice river goodness. Wandered into the woods, saw a valley (small but fairy-cool) of glow-worms and guided some torchless people back out (with red definitely better for night vision ta M torch). Decided not to mention my last guiding people through darkened woods experience to them ...
Another crack of dawn start (downside of buses) with a more reasonable driver to Queenstown. Making stops at all the places I'm going to be wanting to come back to for lots of weeks. Pointy bits, half kilometre deep lakes. And have a vague plan about climbing Mt Cooke sometime much later and a lot more experience down the line. Nice bunch of people at the hostel. Threw myself off a cliff, but didn't feel near death, more a blimey, that ground's moving quite fast, oh it isn't. Think that may be due to feeling secure when falling off stuff in a harness. Or my adrenal gland may be asleep.
Caught up with E's mate E and bloke in Dunedin, stayed with them the night, watched penguins pobbling out of the water and past us along the beach (not many - v high tides, v little beach). E sometimes acts as penguin police there to stop people hassling them, but had loads of work work to do that night.
Got to Kaikoura, where I'm hoping to play with ceteceans of different sizes, weather and wild animals permitting. Then maybe wave at M&L in Wellington on the weekend. (I'm about to ring if you read this before I do, as I'm guessing you could have a far more important visitor to worry about).