South Island trip: Installment I

After almost two weeks back at work, Cory and I decided it was probably time for a vacation. We’d been hoping to get back down to the South Island one more time, so we took the opportunity to hop on a plane for Queenstown.

We picked up a rental car and drove off to Twizel. Twizel is in the Mackenzie Basin, a beautiful area sandwich between the coast and the Southern Alps. Our first stop was at a kaki preservation area. The kaki is a black stilt, a rare New Zealand bird. Between loss of habitat and the introduction of predators, their numbers have been decreasing steadily for years. We were able to see some in the protected aviaries, but did not see any in the wild.

Hoping to get luckier with our next “spotting”, we headed on to Lake Tekapo. Mount John is the home to the largest observatory in New Zealand. That night, we dressed in our warm clothes and headed up to the observatory. We met up with guides who took us to a few different telescopes to stargaze.

Cory and I had just finished a great NZ-oriented astronomy book, and we were able to pick out the Southern Cross to orient ourselves due south. The constellation Orion stands on his head in this hemisphere, but conveniently still wears his identifiable belt. Cory found Betelgeuse (you know, like “beetle juice” – surely it spawned the movie), but I was left to the kindness of our guide. In addition to pointing out several other features that could be viewed by the naked eye, he set up a portable telescope for us. Even better, though, was when he took us into one of the domes and we looked through a larger telescope. We saw star systems, nebulas, and Saturn with four of its moons.

There was no time to catch up on our sleep, though, as the next morning we headed towards Mount Cook. There are several glaciers in this area, and we were going kayaking in the lake that has formed at the terminal face of one such glacier. After a short hike, we loaded into our kayak and shot off into the lake. The water was unbelievably cold; large icebergs, which had fallen from the face of the glacier floated in the water. We paddled around, exploring the ice chunks, and then made our way towards the face of the glacier. Our guide instructed us that, if a significant icefall should occur, that we were to face our kayaks directly perpendicular to the glacier, so that we could ride out any wave that might occur. I didn’t really relish the thought of taking a dip in the icy water, so we stayed perpendicular as we gazed at the terminal face. Occasionally, rocks would fall from the top of the face with a low, loud grumbling and splashing.

After having lunch and warming up, we headed down to the lakeside town of Wanaka. Walking a long the shore that afternoon, someone called out to Cory. He was wearing a University of Iowa shirt; the woman’s husband had been to UI. It is strange to hear an American accent – at first I don’t even notice that it is unusual, and then, once I do, sometimes I can’t pinpoint what is different until later. I know I will miss the Kiwi accent when we return.

That night, in Wanaka, we went to the Cinema Paradiso. It is a small movie theater, playing blockbusters, indy films, and foreign flicks. The theater itself has no typical move theater seats, but instead offers a selection of couches, recliners, and even a converted car. Even more pleasing than the seating options were the food options. You can order dinner in advance and have it served at intermission! Cory went with a pizza, while I had veggie lasagna. When intermission was over, I hadn’t yet finished my garlic bread, so I took that and my glass of wine back into the theater with me. Fantastic! I’m convinced a similar type of theater would be a huge hit in Iowa City and will patiently wait for someone to open one. Please have it ready by the time we get back…

The next day was our leisurely day and we spent it wandering around Arrowtown. Arrowtown was once the site of a large gold panning operation, and has now become a touristy village. But it was a gorgeous day, and we enjoyed wandering around the shops and galleries. We had a wonderful meal that night at an excellent restaurant, Saffron. The head chef caught me with my eyes closed and sighing while eating the whitebait soufflé. After turning a bright shade of red, I decided that he probably didn’t mind someone enjoying the food he’d created, even if it was a little over the top.

We were well rested and well fed before we wound back to Queenstown the next morning. Queenstown bills itself as the adrenaline capital of New Zealand and the home of the first bungy jump. You’ll be disappointed to learn we opted out of all but the least dangerous. We headed straight for the Shotover River and the jetboating offered there. Jetboating is sort of like riding a rollercoaster on a river, without that slow “up” part. After gearing up with warm clothes, large waterproof parkas, and life jackets, we loaded into the three ton boat. Our driver, who probably had his script written by an underpaid comedian, asked if this was everyone’s first time in a jetboat before letting us know that it was his first time, too! Then we grabbed on to the handholds and took off. The jetboat flew down the narrow river gorge, occasionally making 360 degree spins, before careening back towards the rocky cliffs. We sat behind a mother and her two grown daughters; all three screamed at every opportunity, giving the ride a delightful amusement park feel.

That was all the excitement we could handle for one day, so we wisely drove down to Te Anau to prepare for our next big adventure. The next morning we were to leave to walk the Milford Track, a four-day hike through the sounds.