The End of an Era

As is usual, I have gotten behind in posting and have to sacrifice detail such as describing the lush green fields littered with white sheep, the captivating hike through the rain forest opening up to a massive Fox Glacier, further hitchhiking adventures, making it up to the spectacular pancake rocks and taking a stroll along the beach watching the sun set over an aggressive though spellbinding Tasman Sea. Certainly all of these things made for a very enjoyable journey but I will have to rely on my memories alone to bring back the pleasures of my last days on the south island.

Very nice car for the price

I made it back to Wellington and stayed one night before picking up a rental car – a 6-speed manual Toyota Corolla that couldn't have been more than two years old. For those who don't know, I jump at any chance to drive stick shift. I have never had much access to one, so it's a huge treat whenever the opportunity arises. It didn't take long to get used to the left handed shifting nor the driving on the left side of the road. I've done it before so I felt confident doing it again. The journey alone provided a great deal of satisfaction, but it was the destination that was magnificent.

If you're familiar with BBC's Planet Earth series (absolutely amazing), perhaps you've seen the episode on caves. A large portion of this episode is devoted to the Waitomo caves on New Zealand's north island. When I discovered this, the caves worked their way to the top priority on my New Zealand agenda. Seeing the caves was not at all a disappointment. The tour started out with a quick abseiling (rappelling) lesson and before I knew it I was volunteering to be the first to drop down 40 meters through a narrow passage into the black abyss. Climbing through some tight corridors brought us to a platform where I was strapped in and told quite suddenly to turn off my lamp, jump, and let go. The consequence for my blind obedience was a terrifying yet exhilarating zip-line into a pitch black cavern light up by only meager starry lights from the glow worms above. An adrenaline-rushing jump into the icy water was followed by a relaxing drift in rubber inter-tubes along the black water contained by the moist limestone walls. A round trip voyage was much too short but what followed was a combination of walking and swimming through the shallow river systems cutting the cave passages out of the rock. These are the same rivers that go on to carve out the rock with passages reaching 900 meters below the surface. After a good trek through the caves on foot, our guides gave us the option to either turn left and walk right out back into the sun or continue straight and crawl around a bit before coming across a couple waterfalls that, if we rock climb against the water, will also take us back to the surface. No surprise in the decision. By the time it was over, I was ready to turn back around and do it all over again but my wallet disagreed and so I continued on my way to the car. A couple who went on the trip with me bought the photo cd and promised to send me the photos but I'm afraid since I've not yet received word, I will never see them.

My travel map of New Zealand

That night I worked my way back to Auckland having plenty of time to reflect on my trip in a serious traffic jam. Upon arrival I really wondered whether New Zealand could live up to its reputation or if people had built it up too much. Personally I found it to be everything I had expected and nothing less. Great sights, friendly people, good food, brilliant weather (mostly), and a lot of wonderful experiences. I'd like to send thanks out to Alastair and Nicole, the Abbots, the Bishops, and John for letting me spend several nights with them. Also a big shout out to all of them and other friends I met along the way such as Will, Alex, Sarah, and the grad students at U of Otago. Speaking of, the University of Otago is currently my top pick for graduate school. Overall I had a brilliant month in New Zealand and I look forward to the day I am able to return.