Wonderland

So the north Island was beautiful, but the South Island is spectacular. Still the same windy, narrow roads and now with a lot more camper vans and bigger RV’s, but that doesn’t deter from the enjoyment because we stop every few minutes to enjoy a new waterfall, a vista of the mountains, a rugged shoreline to walk, or a myriad other things that draw attention away from the fact that you’re not getting there as fast as you might ordinarily travel. Remembering that it is the journey, not the destination is the mantra of the road here on the South Island as it should be in all aspects of life. The 100 km maximum seems the norm now and plenty fast with the road conditions. No more grousing about slow speed now…just sit back and let it flow. One way bridges abound in the South. One direction has to yield if two vehicles reach at approximately the same time. NZ’ers are pretty cooperative and nobody bogarts their way when it isn’t their turn. Some seem narrower than others, but I think that’s because they have high walls and make you feel hemmed In where those with low guard rails seem more open. Many transverse raging rivers below and stopping at the other side and coming back to take photos takes a certain amount of nerve since there is little extra room for cars to pass dummies standing on the curb hoping all goes well. This dummy has not had problems yet, but the rush of air past one’s backside with the bridge shaking at the weight of the passing truck is its own kind of rush. I’ve seen many different countries and places in the past 24 hours…I’ve seen the dry grassland of the foothills of California in summer, the lush greenery of the Lake district of England, the barren forbidding Cairn Gorens of Scotland, and alpine lakes of Switzerland. This is the South Island of NZ, and ever changing, ever beautiful scenery where each bend in the road seems to conjure up images of places I’ve been and seen before. Our night in the backpacker hotel at Franz Josef glacier was a pleasant one and we opted for the second glacier down the road since we could get closer to Fox Glacier than we could to Franz Josef…however, in terms of glaciers it pales in scope to many that we’ve seen and left us with a kind of “been here, seen better,” jaded feeling. Reaching the coast again we found the rushing waves of Big Sur California to our liking and the driftwood beach took my brain to my grandsons and Astoria, Oregon and watching them play amongst the driftwood forts created there. Shortly thereafter, the car came to a screeching halt when there was a sign reading “Possum fiber.” Naturally, Carol had to investigate. Carol talked fiber with the owner who took her to the back of the store and showed her some raw/unwashed possum fiber. We left there empty handed but about 5 k’s down the road, the glimmer in her eye told me that it was time to turn the car around…It took her all of those 3 miles for her to change her mind and we returned to get a pound of it which filled a plastic bag the size of a large grocery bag. Not sure how US customs is going to like that, however we did bring back a whole unwashed fleece from Peru that the airport sniffy dog was very interested in. Carol left town a happy woman since this is one of the things she’s been a hankering for since she learned about this stuff upon our arrival. It’s blended primarily with merino, and she can get the merino at home.

Another few hours of driving brought us to Queenstown, the jewel of the South Island cities, and the place where all the adrenaline junkies head. If it’s a head rush you want, it’s here…parachuters land in the middle of town, jet boats whizz you just inches from sheer rock cliff faces, parasailing, bungie jumping, hang gliding, and a wild assortment of other activities designed to either make you feel very alive or kill you from the excitement. It’s a lovely little city emboldened by the fact that it is a magnet for tourists, particular young ones. It reminded me a little of Rothenburg in Germany…very touristy but definitely with a charm that puts that negative aspect to rest. Once again she found a fiber shop with “her” color of merino/possum blend yarn and so she grabbed some skeins. As she said as she left the shop: “Now I’m even happier.” Certainly makes for a better trip all the way around. Situated by another Tahoe-sized lake, and I do mean another, since they abound in this area of heavy rainfall, we tooled down the length of the lake to a small village named Glenorchy. Many towns in this area have Scottish names and it is this area that reminded me of my summer working in a youth hostel in the Cairns of Scotland. It was a lovely drive and we stopped for some lunch beside it and just soaked up the atmosphere. Now we have arrived in Te Anau, which is the jumping off point for Milford Sound, the crown jewel of NZ. Everybody who I know who has been there has said: “You gotta go to Milford Sound.” But that’s tomorrow. The rain finally caught us, but that’s a good thing. That means more waterfall action in the fjords tomorrow. We have a window of one day of sun and that’s tomorrow. Timing is everything in life. For now we’re ensconced in another little hotel with nice facilities and no free wi-fi. Thank heaven for the library system of NZ. They have free Wi-fi and the young kids can sniff out a free connection point like sheep smelling water. Walk into one, and they have had to set up a “wi-fi zone,” which is wall to wall with bearded, short panted, sandal wearing, pigtailed, head scarved individuals sprawled about the floor since all the chairs are taken by similar looking individuals…the cacophony of different tongues must rival Babel in its time. The deer farms are big business around here. We’ve seen them in other areas but the numbers of them here are far greater. Found out that they ship the antler velvet to Japan for use in herbal medicine…couldn’t figure out what they did with it until today. Sign of the day: “trundler parking lot - Trundlers must not leave the premises.” Discovered they were shopping carts.