Mom's WORLD JOURNAL - New Zealand

We arrived in Christ Church late Sunday night and it was cool and breezy, a welcome change as the Australian temperature had steadily soared since our arrival in early December. The streetlights lit the darkness just enough for us to witness the perfectly charming homes in this peaceful, quiet little town. We arrived at our motel, an immaculate, new motel decorated in bright colors with down comforters on the bed and a giant Jacuzzi tub, a luxury in our daily travels. We awoke to the sun streaming in the window and decided to explore the town. Max on his scooter and Mark and I on foot, we walked to the town center which was bigger and more developed than I had imagined. Imagine my surprise to find it fully equipped with a Starbucks and The Body Shop! I decided to hit the body shop for some "fun in the tub" items. Max, as always in desperate need for a bath, would find a bubble bath a right treat, as would Mark and I! I bought bath bombs that fizz around the tub, bubbles and candles to surprise my main men later that evening! Mark was hot on the All Black's trail, New Zealand's national and best rugby team, and eager to get a schedule to see them in action. They don't call it a game or a match but rather a "test", and if you score it is called a "try", which made no sense to me! Unfortunately, their schedule did not match up with ours and we would be unable to see a "test", so we went to the pub instead so Mark could get a "sports fix". It was the Super Bowl and the pub was crammed with sports enthusiasts witnessing one of the worst games in history, or so we thought. They cheered every tackle, every pass and enjoyed our popular American sport, we enjoyed their enthusiasm. We walked; window shopped, and secured a rental car for only $15.00 per day. Mark is amazing! He has literally planned every hotel, every flight, every car rental and local events. He is an incredible planner and finds deals everywhere. He asks my opinion but I seldom disagree, I totally trust his instincts and we are seldom let down. He reads every local paper, is a slave to the Lonely Planet Guide, and reads every brochure, which Max uses later to make origami birds and butterflies. After dinner, we headed back to the motel for "bath time". Max went first and played in the tub for hours. He was absolutely as wrinkled as an old raisin when he emerged, a sign that he might actually be clean! Mark and I had a different bubble bath in mind and sent Max to bed. I started to fill the tub, poured in the small container of bubbles and turned on the Jacuzzi jets and left, sending the mixture into a spin. When I returned only a few minutes later the tub looked like a GIANT frothed cappuccino. The foam was absolutely ridiculous! It was more than a foot high and spilling over the sides! I screamed for Mark who immediately said "Did you use the WHOLE bottle?" We tried everything and the bubbles would not go away…a true testimony to The Body Shop's quality, but they should consider a warning on the label such as "Warning: Use Contents Sparingly Or They Will Take On A Life Of Their Own!" Mark was determined to get in and sent the bubbles rushing down the tub like Niagara Falls, around the toilet, and under the sink. Only the carpet in the hallway prevented them from escaping the tile floor in the bathroom! We were rushing around stark naked throwing everything we could find on the floor and scooping the bubbles by the armful into the toilet and the sink. Max was now awake, eager to be a part of the action…and there went our romantic evening. Romance aside…our bellies ached with laughter! The next day we picked up the rental car and drove to Akaroa, a small mountain town on a lake. We drove the country two-lane highway and were almost immediately stopped by a flock of sheep crossing the road in chaotic fashion. They were the most unruly lot! It was like herding cats down a beach. Just as some crossed, the others went back driving the sheepherder bonkers. Finally the driver behind us just drove right through the crowd of sheep sending them "baaaing", jumping, twisting and turning to get out of the way, and we followed. That's when we learned our first sheep lesson…wait and you'll be there all day! And here's an interesting fact; "The South Island has 3.5 million people and 63 million sheep". They even have a store called Woolmarts loaded with all the wooly delights imaginable! The drive to Akaroa was pretty, but not as spectacular as the pictures we had seen. We remained optimistic and knew that the dramatic scenes would soon reveal themselves. We arrived late in the day, visited a winery, walked the main street and ate dinner. It was a long drive for what seemed little reward! Caveat: I should explain that prior to leaving Australia, I hurt my foot running. I thought it temporary but it got worse, not better. New Zealand is best explored trekking or "tramping" as they call it, rafting, and climbing. I could not even walk without limping and those activities seemed out of reach. Mark was determined that I not even try, rest up, and get ready for four months in Europe. So, for example, there are some great bike rides in Akaroa that attracts the tourist population. We were not impressed with the small town, but then again, we did not explore it as recommended. We left the next day for Twizzle, a small town in the center of New Zealand, near the famous Mt. Cook. We drove for several hours through sheep dotted green and gold meadows and tree-covered mountains. The landscape was not too exciting and we had to create some car games just to ease the boredom. When we neared Mt. Cook, the scenery changed in an instant opening up to smoky, blue mountains and stunning silver-light blue lakes, a result created by the high content of limestone. Mt. Cook at 3200 meters is the largest mountain in New Zealand. We admired the scenery and headed to Twizzle, a tiny town with a few grocery stores and motels, and we settled in for the night. I was bored and disappointed, as was Mark, but we dared not mention it and remain focused on the next days drive. We had literally driven for two months in Australia and were beginning another month of driving in New Zealand. Perhaps we were just tired, or maybe, our collective travel experiences had dulled our senses. We dared not think about it! With another five months of travel ahead, we were determined to focus, stay in "the moment", and stop comparing countries. After all, Mt. Cook was a sore comparison for Mt. Everest! We awoke in better spirits determined to enjoy the day. We left the thriving metropolis of Twizzle and headed southeast to Dunedin. Along the way we saw cave paintings with original Maori art, sheep and more sheep. As we started heading south, the scenery became more and more beautiful. The meadows with their gold and green patches contrasted with the dark blue mountains, beautiful skies and stark white clouds. Deer is raised for venison and we passed many large herds of deer prancing about wondering how one could shoot such a beautiful animal for sport. Little white churches with cemeteries, farmhouses and clothes hanging out to dry in the gentle breeze, were a common site. We turned a corner and there before us was the most amazing patch of lavender. The sudden onset of the purple hues caught our attention immediately! The stunning purple patch of lavender stretched for miles across the landscape, in amazing contrast to the surrounding country. We took several photos and walked through the waist high flowers…incredible. A little further south are the famous Moeraki Boulders. We walked a crooked path to the beach and saw the large, perfectly round boulders scattered along the beach. Quite unusual! Max climbed around and slid down the rocks as the waves crashed on the cold, breezy shore. Back in the car, we headed to Dunedin. Dunedin was a welcomed surprise…what an awesome city! We entered the city via a winding mountain road. As we turned the corner we saw the wooden hillside houses overlooking the bay and the surrounding Otago peninsula. The lively town center contains many spectacular Victorian and modern buildings. During the gold rush days, Dunedin was the largest city in the country and is home to New Zealand's first university. Anxious to get out of the car, we immediately found a cozy place to stay near the town center and arranged a evening trip to see the wild penguins and the rare royal albatross colony. We drove the narrow street down the long Otago Peninsula so close to the water's edge I felt certain we would take the car for a swim. At the very end of the peninsula is Taiaroa Head with the only northern royal albatross colony in the world so close to human habitation. The visitor center has educational displays about the albatross and other wildlife and offer tours to see the giant birds. We took a tour to the top of the hill and viewed the birds through a glassed-in viewing area. There we saw a mother Albatross snuggling her young and waited for favorable weather conditions so we could see them in flight. The albatross have a wingspan of 2-3 meters, up to nine feet, and are most amazing in flight. We saw six in flight playing in the wind, darting and dashing around. The albatross mate for life and give birth every other year and can fly up to 600 miles a day. After our tour, we scrambled into the car for our next tour five minutes away, the yellow-eyed penguin, one of the most rare penguins. When we arrived we took a short 20-minute bus ride to the beach where the penguins reside. We walked down a path and were stopped by two friendly penguins, which looked at us with much curiosity. You cannot touch them, but can get within a few feet and watch them, closer than you can anywhere in the world. The penguins, usually in pairs, walked around in their tuxedos and lavish yellow eye band that wraps their head. The baby chicks, are not quite as fortunate their beautiful parents but rather are covered in fluffy brownish gray feathers. Surprisingly, the chicks are as big as the adults but still rely on them for food, regurgitated fish…yum! There were several viewing areas, wooden huts covered in greenery where we watched the penguins for 90-minutes. A rare treat! I was determined to find a cure for my foot and set out the next morning in search of a podiatrist. I tried several places yet all had the same story, they couldn't see me for a week. We would be on the other side of the island by then! Oh well, I had managed this long and can wait until Queenstown. We spent the afternoon bumming around the town center, checking out the cool bohemian college kids and wandering the city. We drove up Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world with a gradient of 1 in 1.266, whatever that means! To me, it was just REAL steep! I can't imagine raising a kid on this street. You would find a ball ten suburbs away if it got lose and rolled down the hill! At the top of the street stood dozens of Japanese tourists waving, smiling and snapping our picture like paparazzi! They must have thought we lived there…funny! We visited the Otago Museum filled with Maori exhibits and a natural history exhibit. They also had a discovery center for kids and Max enjoyed playing. After the museum we headed out of town to the other side of the island, about four hours. After several hours, Mark decided we should stop for a picnic along the river. It sounded like a great idea, except for the gale force winds! We sat at the picnic table holding everything, even each other, except for Max who was singing and dancing on the top of the table. He was cracking himself up and having a blast so we decided to stay and eat, laughing the entire time! It was so windy that a piece of salami could put your eye out! SERIOUSLY! The drive to the west coast was pretty much the same, but we did enjoy watching the sheep run away from the trains with panic in their eyes baaaing in hysteria! We drove through a town called Clinton and then one called Gore! What was this all about? Something called Presidential Highway! We never did find out the meaning. We finally arrived in Te Anue where we spent the next two nights. The town borders a lake and is very pretty. We had a difficult time finding a room since the town was completely full. We finally found a room in a hotel featuring lovely peach shower curtains hanging in the bedroom…need I say more! The next day we took a 8-hour boat tour of Doubtful Sound.