Skiing the Southern Alps for Earthquake Revovery
Follow My Journey: Pt 5
Back to the North Island
Septembert 11th: Fly to Welly
I woke up early to go return the car to Jucy and then go to my Kiwi Culture tutorial and lecture (the only class I went to that week). I got out of my class at 11 and woke TJ and Kyle up. We had some breakfast and then went to the library so that Kyle and TJ could contact their parents and do other things on the internet while I printed my flight tickets. We then took the orbiter to Tower Junction so we could return the beacon we hired. We also had to go to the Ticketek office because TJ and Kyle were not able to open the All Blacks tickets that were sent to TJ's email. We walked over to Ticketek office at Horncastle Arena and after trying to figure things out with the lady at the desk for a while we finally figured out that the tickets weren't coming through because TJ had a Comcast email instead of a global service like Gmail. TJ was furious because Comcast proved that even in New Zealand they could screw you over. We switched the tickets to be sent to Kyles Gmail, and were then able to print the tickets.
We took the bus back to Ilam and packed up. TJ and I got some pizza from Pizza Hut, and the three of us made our way to the bus stop for the airport. I had told TJ and Kyle how excited I was to fly into the airport because it is always so windy and Wellington has one of the sketchiest airport landings in the world. I had seen crazy videos on Youtube of flights landing at the Welly airport and you could see the plans being shaken around like toys. I was super excited and hoped that it was really windy during our landing.
We got to the airport about 45 minutes to an hour before departure. I hadn't realized until just then that we were flying on 9/11. Nevertheless, it was New Zealand, meaning I just had to throw my backpack onto the converyer belt and stroll through the detector with my shoes and belt on. I smiled to the security agent and wished him a good night and he did the same back to me.
We boarded the plane and the announcer specifically stated that the weather in Wellington at the moment was windy for people not from their, but normal for the people from Wellington. While the landing wasn't as scary as I hoped, it was still the bounciest landing I've ever experienced. When we got off the plane we were met by the large structures of Gandalf riding the eagle and Golem catching a fish that I had seen many pictures of from my friends. On the outside of the airport is also a sign that says "Middle of Middle Earth."
Gandalf Riding the Eagle
Golem
Golem
I called Jucy to ask where they pick up from the airport. It was around 8:30 and she said that they had closed. When I originally called to book the rental I had though I had arranged for pick up at 8:30 pm on the night of the 11th, but apperently I had said 8:30 in the morning on the next day so we were left stranded at the airport in a new city. We were able to get onto the wifi though and found a bus that would take us to our hostel. We sat down and got some Subway while we waitied for the bus.
We got on the bus which took us to Courtenay Place, a busy street full of shopping and bars and crowded with rich nightlife (Wellington is considered the nightlife capital of New Zealand0. It also intersects Cuba Street, another busy street with a lot of shopping and bars. The street was just about a block away from our hostel so we walked over and checked into our private room. After checking in we went back to Courtenay Place and walked up and down it before stopping at a bar. The bouncer made us sing the Star-Spangled Banner before letting us in. We split a jug and hung out before we got a litte tired and decided to make our way back to the hostel.
Cone
In New Zealand, sticking cones is a very common prank mostly done by Uni students to stick cones on top of things. It is also kind of a game to see who can manage to get a cone on top of some of the craziest places/objects.
You will often find cones on top of road signs, short poles/structures, and in fountains, but every once in a while you will stumble across something very impressive.
In this case, someone managed to get a cone on top of this massive art structure in the middle of Courtenay place. I took a picture that night and the next day during the day time. This and a Crusaders flag stuck on a massive pine in Porters Pass have been the most impressive acts I've seen.
September 12th: Exploring Wellington
I woke up early to go and pick up our rental car. We decided that it only made sense for me to go so that three of us didn't have to pay for the bus. I also told Kyle and TJ that I didn't mind and that they could get a little extra sleep. I got to Jucy and when I told the guy at the desk about our situation last night and how I though I had scheduled for pick up that night, he gave us one of the nicer cars that was available but still in the class that we had payed for. I drove back to the YHA, and woke Kyle and TJ up for breakfast. We went down to the desk and asked about things to do in Wellington. We had said we wanted to check out the Weta Workshop, and the lady additionally suggested we checked out the Red Rocks on the coast and Mount Victoria. We walked to the New World across the street to get breakfast, and then took off for our first stop, Weta Workshop.
Trolls
We checked out all the props in the Weta Cave Shop and saw a short and interesting video about the company. Weta Workshop is a special effects and prop company that was founded by two people in 1987. The small company gained worldwide recognition with its work producing sets, props, creatures, and special effects for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It has created props and special effects for many famous movies like King Kong, Avatar, District 9, and The Chronicles of Narnia.
 Golem |  Golem Selfie |  Chillin With Gandalf |
|---|---|---|
 Uruk-ai |  Uruk-ai |  The Witch King Costume |
 Armor of TheodredSon of Theoden |  Radagast's Staff |  Weapons |
 Balins Mace |  Orc Weapons |  Helmet |
 Helmet |  Helmet |  Hobbit Feet |
 King Kong |
Weta Cave Shop
We found out that you could take tours of the Weta Cave Workshop, and when we found out that they were pretty cheap we decided to do it. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures, but the tour of the workshop was very interesting. The tour guide spoke a lot about the creation of props, using the guns from District 9 as an example. There were a lot of cool props and prothestics, and there was even a Warthog from when they were going to create a Halo movie but ended up not doing it. It even had an engine and was capable of driving. We also learned a lot of cool facts, and I realized how long it took to produce props. For example, The King Kong costume took years to create and every single hair had to be sewn on by hand.
The tour of the Weta Workshop concluded and we made our way towards the red rocks. We got to the end of the paved road and there was a sign saying that 2WD vehicles shouldn't go past the point. We drove down the road a little bit, but when we realized there was no chance our car was going to make it, we turned back and parked at the lot where the paved road ended. We started walking down the road, and were feeling really lazy so we tried to hitchike every 4WD that passed us, but we had not luck.
We walked for about an hour but had no idea where these "red rocks" were. We saw some red rocks and assumed that that might be what they were. However, people said that there were some seal colonies at the rocks which we didn't see.
There was a steep trail going up to the top of the hills. Sine we were all really hungry and wanted to go back, so we decided to walk up the hill for a few minutes to get a view and then turn back.
Coastline
"Red Rocks"
Cook Strait
We got back to the car starving, and set out on our mission to find food. We drove town the road to the Island Bay neighborhood, and found a fish n chips place there. After eating, we left for Mount Victoria. We tried getting there without looking up directions, and when we passed the airport and realized we had just missed the turn, we decided to keep following the costal road all the way around. The sun was just starting to go down giving the water a pretty glow, as well as the city skyline which we had views of as soon as we rounded the corner of the penninsula at the tip.
Bay
Wellington
When we neared closer towards the city after our scenic drive we put in Mount Victoria on the GPS and headed straight there. We parked at the bottom and climbed about 1o-15 minutes to the top where we realized we could have just driven to the top. There were 360 degree views of Wellington and the surrounding suburbs and we hung out as the sky turned dark and the city lights showed up.
Views of Wellington
From Mt. Victoria Summit
We finished off the night by making a quick stop to the parliament.
We drove back to the YHA and cooked up a huge pot of pasta. We planned to eat and then go out for a bit, but we ended up having so much pasta and chocolate milk that our stomachs couldn't handle any more. We still went out and ended up stopping at the same bar we stopped at the night before, and the bouncer remembered us. After splitting a jug we our stomachs were so full we could hardly walk, so we cut the night off early and went back to sleep.
September 13th: All Blacks vs Springboks
In the morning we ran to the New World across the street to grab food for breakfast which we ate at the hostel. We stopped at a quick souveneir shop to do some shopping and then picked up Ed. I introduced Ed to Kyle and TJ and then we planned our day since the game was in the evening. Ed needed to print out his ticket, so we went to the public library and got that sorted out. On the way there was a court with pregame activities going on, and we all got free rugby balls by tackling an inflatable tackle buddy. We had a whole day to kill before the game and Ed suggested we take the Wellington Cable Car up to see the views, so we did that.
Cuba St.
Wellington
Cable Car
Top of Cable Car
After the cable car we met up with Ardy and the four of us got lunch. At the beginning of the day Ed had told me about a place where he acutally had a really good milkshake (we always joked about how bad the milkshakes in New Zealand were). So after lunch Ed took us to the milkshake place on Cuba Street. I thought the milkshake was alright, but not as good as Ed did. Also, on our way towards Cuba St. we passed by a really nice hotel that had a charter bus parked out the front and a decent crowd of people standing around waiting. We figured that the All Blacks were about to walk out, and sure enough, after a few minutes we got to see all of the All Blacks walk out of the hotel.
After getting shakes, Ardy split off, and TJ, Kyle, Ed, and I drove to the hotel TJ had booked in Lower Hutt. TJ was telling us how he just booked one of the first things he saw, so we weren't expecting much. However, we arrived at out place and were shocked. We had a really nice two story suite with three beds, and a nice bathroom and kitchen, and we were excited because the place was fairly cheap. The only downside was that later on that night I had two different encounters with scary spiders.
We settled in and got ready for the game before we called a cab to get to the stadium.
All Blacks Captain, Richie McCaw
The test match ended up being a lot closer than the one against Australia and was extremely intense, especially at the very end. The All Blacks were up 14-10 in the last minute and the Springboks had the ball right on the edge of the try line. The Springboks kept forming a maul to try to push in for a try and at times they were just centimeters away from scoring before a final effort from the All Blacks would push them back. This repeated even after the 80th minute was reached. Finally, the Springboks committed an offside, giving the All Blacks a scrum. The All Blacks won the scrum and kicked the ball to end the match causing the stadium to erupt. It was arguably the craziest sporting the moment I witnessed live.
Victory!
National Anthems
Pre Game
Westpac Stadium
We grabbed something to eat after the game at Maccas before catching a taxi back to our hotel for the night.
September 14th: Wellington to Picton Ferry
We got up early in the morning to check in at the ferry before our 8:00 departure. We pulled onto the ferry and grabbed some good seats. We stayed inside for most of the journey across the Cook Straight until we started to approach the tip of the South Island, which was what we were told was the scenic part. Sure enough, despite the high winds and light drizzle, the cruise through the Marlborough region to Picton was absolutely stunning.
 Marlborough |  Marlborough |  Marlborough |
|---|---|---|
 Marlborough |  Marlborough |  Marlborough |
 Marlborough |  Marlborough |  Ferry |
 Marlborough |  Picton |  Picton |
 Ferry |  Ferry |  Ferry |
|---|---|---|
 Ferry |  Ferry |  EdFell asleep for the entire ride |
After we docked in Picton we went to the town to get some lunch. The small town was really nice and its perfect vibe gave us a nice greeting reminding us that we were back on the beautiful South Island. Kyle, TJ, and I grabbed something to eat at a small cafe, while Ed and Ardy did likewise at a different place.
Picton
Ferry
We tried to find the DOC to ask them about hikes in Picton and Nelson, and we discovered that they were closed. We found a visitors center on the water however and were hoping to find information about kayaking in the sounds. Unfortunately, we found out that you needed to book kayaking in advance and that we also didn't have time, so we asked about a quick hike. The lady told us about a nice 20 minute walk starting right from town that took you up and gave you incredible views of the sound, so we followed her words. The view did indeed turn out to be incredible.
Picton Town Center
Picton Harbor & Marlborough Sounds
We finished up the short hike and hit the road for the YHA in Nelson. We missed the turn to follow the scenic route and decided to keep going and take route 1 to 6. (I later took the scenic route with my family and wished I had taken the guys on the route because it was absolutely stunning). We checked into the YHA and chilled for a while. We went to Rebel sports and I bought a Crusaders ball and TJ bought an epic South Sydney Rabbitohs hat. We went to the countdown to get some food for dinner. Later on we all cooked some burgers and fried rice for dinner. The YHA had a ping pong setup and a dart board. Kyle and I played a ton of games of darts (we didn't know the official rules so we kinda made up our own that worked out well).
Ardy and Ed went to sleep but TJ and Kyle and I wanted to hang out more especially since out time was running short. We went to McDonalds to get some food, and I let TJ do a little driving around the town. We found this cool Church on top of a hill and went to check it out.
Nelson
Church Hill
Church
Nelson
There was also this black cat that followed us around and was pretty creepy
September 15th: Nelson Lakes National Park to Christchurch
The previous day we had planned that on our way back to Christchurch we would swing by Nelson Lakes National Park for a quick walk and then make one more stop at Hanmer Springs. We swung by the visitors center on the way out to get some information on the Nelson lakes area and then departed town. We drove for about two hours down to St. Arnaud. We took a few pictures of Lake Rotoiti, and did about a 20 minute walk on this forested trail before deciding to turn back so that we could spend more time at Hanmer springs.
Lake Rotoiti
We finished up at Nelson Lakes and drove on over to Hanmer springs. Hanmer springs is a nice relaxing place with thermal hot pools and a few water slides. We got to the town and got some lunch across the street from the pools. TJ, Kyle and I each got the pass for the water slides, which we put to full use. We spend a while chilling in the hot pools and going on the water slides until we were ready to leave for Christchurch. It was a definitely a chill and relaxful way for TJ, Kyle, and I to end our trip on.
We drove down to Christchurch and dropped off Ed and Ardy. Kyle, TJ and I went and got dinner. TJ and I grabbed some Pepes and took it over to Maccas where Kyle wanted to eat. Although it was dark unfortunately, I still wanted to drive TJ and Kyle around the city to show them the earthquake damage because I hadn't shown them it yet. Before leaving the mall we swung by Kmart so I could get some bubble wrap to wrap my skis in because I was sending my skis home with Kyle.
We drove through Hagley park and into downtown where we stopped to get out at the ReStart Mall and Cathedral Square. I drove them through a little more of downtown and showed them part of the redzone (although that was really hard because there were no lights).
We finished up with the downtown tour and drove back to my apartment to pack up. Kyle helped me wrap up my skis (it was very sad sending them away). It was easier to send them home with Kyle so that I didn't have to worry about my large ski bag and having to get it back home with the rest of the familys luggage. I also talked to my friend Sebastian and he said he had an extra pair of skis that I could borrow, so I held on to my boots and poles and the rest of my ski gear.
September 16th: Good Bye
After packing up we all got some sleep for a few hours before we had to wake up and go to the airport for Kyle and TJ's flight which left at 6:30 AM. We weighed the luggage, and this time, to my surprise, there was no charge for my ski bag. Once we checked in the bags we sat down one last time for some breakfast, and then we walked to security and said our good byes.
I was realy glad TJ and Kyle had the chance to visit me, and we all shared so many great memories and experiences that are going to stick with us for the rest of our lives. A year ago we would have thought that the idea of the three of us traveling around New Zealand together was pretty crazy, but here we were checking one great thing off of our bucket list. I returned back and transitioned back into the classroom. I felt a little sad and empty at times the next few days and wished the three of us could go out for another crazy adventure, but it was nothing too dificult. After all, I was still living the life Down Under!