Bits and pieces

Dunedin (out of the backlog...) I liked Dunedin quite a bit, though it was shite weather while I was there. Among the sites I took in while there:


--Baldwin Street is the steepest in the world. I didn't dare try to drive up it in my shitmobile for a car.



--Lots of wildlife. Saw a fur seal colony and wild blue penguins. It was night time, so I don't have any penguin photos, unfortunately.

--Toured the Cadbury factory. Hershey really does make a shitty product.

Puzzling World Went to Wanaka's Puzzling world on Monday with some folks from the hostel. I suddenly grew by four feet:



Took the Roman toilets for a spin:




And found my way through a maze:




Afterward, we climbed Mt Iron for a great panoramic view. You can see Wanak behind us.




Heading back to Queenstown today. I want to decide where I'm going to stay soon. Going to check out the job prospects this evening. I'll be honest--despite Queenstown's total awesomeness, it's hella expensive. To support my goal of traveling Asia after New Zealand, I may be better off in a city so that I can conserve my money a little better. I will figure that out over the weekend.

Wanaka

As I said in my last post, I'm now in Wanaka. It's quite a bit smaller than Queenstown. In fact, I could quite possibly lose my mind here after a few weeks. But there's plenty for me to do for a few days or so. Lots of good hikes, and today I'm going to Puzzling World! Photos to come.



Here is where I am staying:




And if I turn 180 degrees...




A little closer...





Oh, and take a look at this photo. Something doesn't seem quite right eh? I see this all the time...

Some great views

I am in Wanaka now. It's a little over an hour away from Queenstown, and the scenery is no less stunning. There were only two of us on the bus, so the driver made a couple stops so I could get out and take photos.








In this one, Queenstown is in the distance. You can see the airport and a bit of Lake Wakatipu.






AND, here's a video I took of one of the other fliers from the other day. She's still building momentum, so imagine it going even higher than this (and not coming down sideways).

Burned alive

Well, 90 minutes into my trial run at the restaurant, it was abundantly clear that it was not going to work out. In fact, once I told her I didn't have much practice carrying three plates at once, I knew that I was hosed. But more than that, I don't have experience in a restaurant quite as classy as this place. I need to set my sights on somewhere more casual. And I'm glad that she was honest with me about my poor fit, because I'd rather spend my time searching elsewhere than feeling like a fish out of water, carrying everything on a tray, including extra knives and empty beer bottles.

So, Operation CV Handout continues today. I have a few leads, so I'm optimistic. The only thing that is dicouraging is that it would seem many places may not want to hire someone for another couple weeks. I don't know what I would do with myself with no job for that long (without spending an exorbitant amount of money, that is). I'll deal with that possibility next, if need be.

Trial by fire

Fourty-eight hours from now, I may be employed. Or I may be nursing a really bad hangover after drinking away my sorrows. Five minutes after submitting my CV to a local restaurant yesterday, I got a phone call asking if I could do a trial shift on Thursday. Seems the local practice here in Queenstown is to throw you into the deep end, with very little training, to see if you're up to snuff. This prevents them from wasting time training people who suck and only want work because they blew all their money on thrills and beers and need to earn funds for a plane ticket home. So they gave me a menu and a wine list and said, "See you at half past five."

So, wish me luck. Good thing I was waiting tables for a few months before I took off, though I don't exactly have the "couple years" of experience that most venues require. But the manager obviously knows good people when she sees them.

Oh, and the wages are $10 plus tips. Beats the hell out of the $2.15 I made in Omaha.

Check out the restaurant: Captains Restaurant

A hike with a payoff

I've never been a huge fan of recreational exercise--I only do it because I know it's "good" for me. But today's hike certainly paid off. Now I don't know what the difference between a mountain and a hill is. A lot of what I saw on the north island were definitely hills. The snow-capped dealies across the lake from me are most certainly mountains. But right next to my hostel is a 1,500-foot, tree-covered monolith that I will call a mountain so that I can sound cooler. I don't have a photo from the bottom of it, but I'll get on that.

Anywho, you can either pay 20 bucks to take a cool gondola ride to the top, or you can hike up. Since money and I keep butting heads, I chose the cheap-ass route, which involved lots of sweating and plenty of huffing and puffing. But defnitely worth it. At the top, an amazing view of the town and the lake.




And at the top, there's a ski lift.




And at the top of the ski lift? Luging!




I nearly threw myself over the embankment going around one turn, but three runs later, I was unscathed.

And how about getting back down the mountain? Well, it just so happens that no one checks for your gondola tickets, so we hopped on and enjoyed the ride--and the view.




And now...the job search kicks off.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee

Six weeks into my trip, I've finally completed my first adrenaline-pumping activity (unless you want to count beekeeping). Fly By Wire puts you in control of a small fan-driven "plane," which you send careening around a valley, as you are tethered to a cable hanging about a hundred meters or so above the valley floor. Here I am getting strapped in:





And ready to go:




Once you're all harnessed in, they lift you up and pull you up along the side of the hill. About 75 meters up.






You're nearly vertical, hanging face first toward the ground. The ascent stops. Then you squeeze the release trigger and the accelarator and begin your flight, first swinging back and forth between the sides, building up height and speed (up to 170 km per hour, or about 100 mph), in a figure eight. Then they have you start turning the same direction on each pass, allowing you to start swinging out into the open air, away from the hills. At the peak of each pass, you're weightless for a few seconds, before you hurtle back toward the other side. It doesn't feel like you're falling because you're going so fast. And when you're done, the engine cuts, and you slowly swing back and forth, until they bring you back to the ground. Feckin awesome!

This place rocks

File this one under weird, unexplainable things... About 50 minutes north of Dunedin, there is a town called Moeraki. What puts Moeraki on the map? Why, rocks of course. Not just any rocks, mind you. They are some 60 million years old and look oddly crystaline. And they were a good photo op.

Sensory overload

Well, got into Queenstown yesterday. This place is effing amazing! It feels kinda like a Colorado ski resort. It sits on a crystal-clear lake and is surrounded by mountains. I definitely won't mind staying here for a few months. Photos hardly do the landscap justice, but here's just a taste of what I'm surrounded by.








I will have more on what I've been up to the last couple days soon...Good stuff!

Pinch me

Every single day that I'm here, I see something absolutely incredible. Monday was no exception.

I drove out, east of Christchurch, to the Banks Penninsula and the former French settlement of Akaroa. (This stop was highly recommended by Paul).


View Larger Map


Simply stunning. The Penninsula was formed by volcanic activity and they've carved out roads that take you on a sweet-ass tour around the top.

Akaroa




Akaroa from above




After stopping in Akaroa, I drove around the spine of the Penninsula and down into Le Bons Bay. I'd say this was the coolest place I've been to yet, as far as scenery goes. I had the whole beach to myself and was surrounded by high hills.









And a little video...




I didn't spend much time exploring Christchurch. I thought my time was better spent getting out into the surrouding area since I have a car...I'll likely have time to revisit Christchurch. Now I'm in Dunedin, which has the steepest street in the world (the one my hostel is on isn't far off, either). More on that later.

More great views

While the North Island is quite stunning, the things I've seen in two days on the South Island have me awestruck. And there's still places I have yet to see that are supposed to be even more breathtaking. It's an unbelievably beautiful country, and I'm glad that I am here.

While in Nelson, I went for a random drive around the countryside with Heather from Ontario, who I had met in Auckland. We found this crystal-clear river.




I can take photos and drive on the left at the same time! This was during my drive today from Nelson to Christchurch. It's in the Marlborough region, which plays host to countless vineyards and wineries.




I stopped in Kaikoura for a bit as well. Unbelievable.




And I made a friend there.




Random stop along the highway





So hurry now to Kayak and book your tickets to come visit me! I know you want to.

Mary Kay calling!

"Um, isn't that pink?"

"No," responds the rental agent, "I think it's champagne."

Sigh.

I present to you my wheels for the next six days:



Not the coolest-looking car I've ever driven, but it gets good gas mileage and only costs me US$25 a day, including unlimited Ks and full insurance coverage.


AND it allows me to take my time while I'm traveling and get views like this:

South Island starts on a positive note

I've been on the South Island for just over an hour now, and I'm already pleased--The crappy weather in Wellington didn't follow me. It had been misting in Welly since I got there Wednesday night.






Thankfully, right as the ferry was nearing the channel that would take us into Charlotte Sound, the clouds broke and blue sky came through.




Now I'm in Picton for the night. It's a nice town of about 5,000 and is tucked into a little hill on Charlotte Sound. Tomorrow, I'm off to Nelson.