Days 5, 6, 7

Day 5 started well - I got a good night's sleep for the first time during the trip (thanks, new pillow). In late-morning we took a 5-minute helicopter ride to Franz Josef glacier. Our guide Tom took us on a three-hour, easy hike on the glacier. We walked through a few crevasses, which appear and disappear on a weekly basis... The glacier is constantly changing, and quickly. The hike was nice - not mind blowing, but nice. My favorite part was the helicopter ride.

In the afternoon I left Shweth to drive over to a serene lake, from which I could see Mt. Cook, the highest peak in New Zealand. I swam laps from the shore, out, and back again. The water was a lot warmer than I expected. After swimming I soaked up some sun on the shore. For the rest of the evening, we worked out a a local hole-in-the-wall gym, saw a short Maori performance (apparently hakas, the famous Maori chants, aren't war songs - they're warm ups. So from now on I'm going to do a haka before my presentations), and had a beer.

Franz Josef is a small tourist town, but not obnoxiously so. Our hostel was quite good and we actually had space for our large suitcases (which, admittedly, are a bit much).

Day 6 started with a fun 30-minute trial of trying to pry our gas tank open. The drive to Queenstown is supposed to be 5 hours, but we took 10. We're learning that every drive takes twice as long as you think it will because there are amazing sights around every bend. The drive starts off in the rainforest near Fox Glacier, curves through mountains and valleys, splits two massive lakes (we stopped to swim in one), passes through Wanaka (an upper-class resort town), and ends with a spectacular descent to Queenstown.

That evening (Christmas Eve), we met up with five current Fuqua students who we met at Abel Tasman. In typical Fuqua fashion, we met up at a cheesy bar called "5 Below," which is one of two "ice bars" in Queenstown. The concept it quite dumb: take a small room, lower the temperature to 20-ish degrees, charge 35 bucks for entry (but impose a time limit of 45 minutes). I cringe at paying for such a dumb experience, but we wanted to meet up with the Fuquans so sucked it up. They were all nice people (funny how Shweth and I could plug right in - the year change but the nature of Fuqua students remains the same), and we drank a bit at their hotel after the ice bar.

Queenstown is a cross between Gatlinburg, TN (for its super-touristy shops and overall vibe) and Interlaken, Switzerland (for the preponderance of adventure sports). Only 8000 people live in Queenstown, the vast majority serving the tourism industry. It's also in the middle of some great scenery - a deep blue lake borders the city, and it's surrounded by mountains.

Superlatives are the only way to describe New Zealand, so I rate "great" as a 3 on a 5 point scale of New Zealand scenery; thus far my ratings are:

5: Lake Marian (near Milford Sound), the drive to Milford Sound

4: Milford Sound itself (but maybe this should be a 5??), the drive from Queenstown to Wanaka, Glenorchy

3: Abel Tasman, Queenstown

2: Nelson

1: Auckland (although it's still quite pretty)


Day 7 was Christmas, and no stores were open. We slept late. Folks staying at the hostel were already up cooking their native dishes for a hostel potluck. We didn't know about the potluck so didn't bring anything, but there was more than enough food so we ate and talked with other travelers (I talked with a father/son from Chile, a US Air Force guy in med school, and a Brit who runs street soccer camps in the US). Shweth stayed at the hostel to just chill out and do laundry, but I wanted to get out... Too beautiful of a day to be indoors. This was the day I went to Glenorchy (see previous post). Afterward, Shweth and I went on a long run, which I sorely needed.

That evening we had dinner with two of the most interesting people we've met thus far: a German couple (both 19 years old) on their second gap year. They were wise beyond their years, and I have to think their travels (which they are funding themselves) have helped them to be so.

Side note: of all the people I've met while traveling, Germans have struck me as some of the most intelligent and confident, but also the most anti- American, specifically regarding our consumerism, education system, and healthcare system. Most Germans I've will directly tell you they want no part of these things. On the other hand, our Franz Josef guide, Tom, wants to live in the US quite badly BECAUSE of our consumer culture. Do the Germans know something we don't? Or is it some sort of player hating? Or is it sour grapes for the first half of the 20th century? I haven't been to Germany and don't have many data points, but I think it's a combination of all three.

The drive from Franz Josef to Wanaka

I know...

I've been misspelling bungee (or bungy, as they spell it in NZ) as bungie. It annoys me too.

The west coast of NZ...

Just north of Punakiki.

The drive from Glenorchy to Queenstown

(Hope this movie can be seen on the blog...)

Day 4: drive down the west coast

The previous night, Shweth snd I watched the last Hobbit movie in the theater. It was filmed in NZ so we saw a bunch of sites we'll see (I think), like Glenorchy and Tongariro Crossing.

The first few hours of drive from Nelson to the west coast passes through some beautiful, idyllic sheep-filled valleys, and rivers. We stopped at Westport for a quick lunch then drove south on the coast. Having driven south from SF many times, I'm quite spoiled when it comes to costal scenery. Still, the "wild west coast" was still quite stunning. It's different than the california coast in that it's more rugged - the beach quickly ascends into mountains, leaving little room for houses. So, you have the feeling of being quite remote.

We stopped at the "pancake rocks," which are rock formations that have many exposed layers... They look like pancakes. They were kind of interesting, but mostly... They're just rocks. In the parking lot we ran into yet another current Fuqua student.

It doesn't get dark here until about 9:30, which really distorts your sense of time. We arrived in Hokitika, a small town known for their jade products (jade is harvested from rivers near Hokitika), around 5. Only one jade shop was open: Heritage Jade. We talked to this young guy Colin Davidson, who owned the shop and made everything he sold. Fun conversation, mostly about dating and the differences between city folk and country folk.

Most everything in NZ closes around 4:30pm (inexplicably... I guess everyone just goes home), so we ate at one of the few restaurants open and continued on to Franz Josef. I slept about 10 hours - so, so needed after a few nights of poor sleep. Buying that pillow was a master stroke.

A few bungie and swing photos

Me, pre-coffee and pre-jump

And why?

This morning I jumped the world's second highest bungie, and went on the world's highest swing (upside down and backwards). Does it make me stupid or brave that I wasn't nervous. Ok, maybe a little nervous as I walked out to the ledge before jumping. You do have the thought "why the hell am I doing this?" but then it's over before you know it. Would I do it again? Hell yeah.

At the swing I met a couple cool Brazilian guys who have been traveling for 6 months. One guy had worked as an engineer for 6 years and had gotten totally stressed out, so he quit to travel the world. Only 1.5 years until my FSG sabbatical. I will definitely be taking 6 months.

Here's a video of my swing... Hope it works.

The road not traveled, being ok with that, yet still wanting it

It's Christmas today, and I felt like spending it with Mother Nature. So, after a potluck lunch with all the folks in our hostel, I drove to Glenorchy, which is about an hour from Queenstown. An Air Force guy recommended that I go past Glenorchy toward the Routeburn trail, hike through sheep-filled pastures, up some switchbacks, and sit and admire the panoramic view.

I reached the step ladder...

NZ Day 3

Hostel pillows suck. I hadn't stayed in a hostel since 2009 until this trip, and had forgotten this little fact. Luckily, Bed Bath & Beyond exists in NZ so I bought myself a genuine lambs wool pillow for 20 bucks. It even smells like lamb. Really. And I love it.

Our hostel in Nelson was serviceable, but the room quite cramped. After going to bed with a headache and walking up with one (I can't quit these damn things!), the cool air from our 45-minute drive to Abel Tasman national park cured me for the day.

Here's what we did:
- booked a full day kayak and hike with the Sea Kayak Company. Our group was 6 people. We kayaked to a nature sanctuary island where about 400 fur seals live. Learned a bit about the seals, but it definitely wasn't a nature tour. The seals were really cool. A few swam under our kayaks and generally checked us out, but they weren't too concerned with our presence. After a quick lunch on the beach, Shweth and I walked about 3 hours to where our boat would take us back to the starting point. On the beach we ran into a current Fuqua student who is traveling with 3 other Fuqua folks. (Also, the next day we met another current Fuqua student at the pancake rocks at Punakiki... Shweth had been wearing Duke shirts every day, so people notice him). Tonight we're staying in queenstown and will meet up with the Fuqua people and drink at a place called Ice Bar. Anyway, on the way back from Abel Tasman we talked to two Vietnamese who worked 6 days picking apples, which funded a 7th day of vacation.
- I liked Nelson a lot. It reminded me of Mendoza, Argentina (although a bit smaller) and Nevada City, California (although probably 3 times Nevada City's size). Very chill town.
- after we got back from Abel Tasman, Shweth went to see a Cinderella pantomime show at a local theater while I went to a Sunday evening Anglican church service. I figured it would be interesting in some regard. Some of my most memorable travel moments have been going to church services (including a few in Mexico), so... Why not. It was a very strange service. At one point the priest asked people to come to the front and speak about whatever they wanted. Two women came up and said they had had visions/that God spoke to them that day. Lots of hands raised in the air. I left 25 minutes into a very rambling sermon. Sorry mom - I couldn't take it and I needed to go eat!

That's all the update I can muster for now. Just got to our hostel in Queenstown and it's bro central. Need to shower and go out.

Here's some photos:

Quaint downtown Nelson

Somewhere between glaciers and fjords

Shweth and I are driving from Franz Josef glacier to Queenstown (a 5-ish hour drive). I took a quick nap and woke up to this. The feeling is that of Yosemite Valley, but with a more powerful river and far less people. This is my favorite view thus far.