Road Trip Round Up: The North of the South, Days 7-10

So for two reasons I'm going to finish up Kim and Kristen's road trip in one succinct post:

A) It's Christmas Eve. If I don't do it now, it's never going to happen. Too much other cool stuff is going on.

B) My photos are limited because the weather was limiting.

Without further ado, my final map.

If any of you actually take the time to look at my maps (Look at my map! So many minutes go into these maps!) you may notice the problematic text just north of Christchurch. Woodend, to be specific, is where I put a full tank of diesel fuel in my petrol run VW Golf. I have 28 reasons why it's not my fault that this happened, but the fact of the matter is that it happened.

Luck seemed to be on my side, after it wasn't on my side, and this incident happened at a garage (instead of just a fuel stop). So we pushed poor little Red into the garage, where the darling 75-year old mechanic judged me (silently, but harshly) then quickly got to work. He instructed Kim and I to "Go for a walk", which if you've ever been to Woodend, NZ (think Willows, California), you'll know is short and not exactly scenic.

Walk we did, and about an hour later little Red was back in action. Plus, the mechanic only charged me $70 to pump the tank, which in NZD, is practically free. We bought him a respectable bottle of Merlot Reserve, then got on the road before he could change his mind. 

The drive from Christchurch to Collingwood, with one lunch stop, one fuel stop, one pee break, and driving rain, is 8 hours. It's merciless. And it's my fault. I thought, Let's show Kim the far side of Golden Bay! I've heard it's amazing! I've never been! We only have 2 nights, and it's really far away! Perfect! In retrospect, totally would have just stayed in Nelson.

When we finally arrived, we scouted out our little piece of paradise, our bach:

Exciting, huh?

This leg of the road trip really made up for how amazingly everything worked out on the first leg. This time around, the weather was vapid. We were complete failures when it came to organizing our food situations. And it felt like we spent eternity in the car.

I had booked two really cute little baches, one for two nights (pictured above) near Collingwood, and the other for one night (not worth picturing) in the Marlborough Sounds. The thing about secluded baches deep in the natural Kiwi landscape is this: they are not near supermarkets and they are not near restaurants.

I mean, obviously. I knew this. But it wasn't convenient for me, so I kind of just ignored this fact until we were there, starving, isolated, exhausted, and still starving. So after our 8 hour drive, we got back in the car and drove 20 minutes to the nearest food. Battered and fried food. Didn't even care.

The day after The Drive, we headed over to the north side of Abel Tasman National Park and yet again used the trusty guidebook to find three cool things.

Cool Thing 1: Wainui Falls and Swing Bridge, Golden Bay, NZ

Just what it sounds like, a 20-30 minute hike through beautiful rainforest, across a spectacularly Kiwi swing bridge, to a stunning waterfall. Exactly what we drove all that way to see!

So much higher than it looks... 

Back on the road, looking out over Golden Bay:

Cool Thing 2: Limestone outcroppings, called "The Grove", Takaka, NZ

We stopped in the grove for a picnic, then took our wine hiking with us. Conventional? No. Perfect? Yes.

The limestone features here and in this area are pretty impressive, worn into bizarre shapes and groups by wind and acidic water. These plus the ferns make for some dramatic Jurassic Park looking scenery.

Wine hikes are the best hikes.

Cool Thing 3: Rawhiti Cave, Takaka, NZ

This was a 45+ minute hike straight up the side of a hill, ending at the most impressive showing of stalactites that I've ever seen. Allegedly there are more than 1 million stalactites in this cave!

Following the cave adventure, we searched for edible food and wi-fi (both rare yet possible) and then took a takeaway pizza with us to what is supposed to be one of the most amazing beaches in New Zealand.

Wharariki Beach. This beach is really decorated. The guidebook said something about this beach "being an orgy of amazingness", or something like that. It gets 5/5 stars on Trip Advisor. It's Google image search looks like this:

source

source

 So imagine our surprise, when we roll up to this beach with our pizza and wine, and we are greeted with 100km winds, a bajillion seagulls, and this:

Cool beach guys. Looks exactly like the photos.

We ate our sandy pizza as fast as humanly possible, while being dive-bombed by seagulls and blinded by razor sharp sand wind. Good times.

After our relaxing time at the best beach in the world, we treated ourselves to a pint of beer at the ONLY bar for a 50km radius, then I'm pretty sure we went to bed while it was still light out.

The following morning we got the hell out of cold and rainy Golden Bay got a refreshingly early start on another day of driving. To break it up, we stopped for a little lunch and wine tasting in Montueka and Nelson.

Cool clouds, no?

 Unfortunately, the following photo is the only one I have from the next 24 hours. It is the view from our 2nd bach.

Basically, we ate, then we drove, then we ate, then we drove. We slept, then we drove, then we ate, then we drove. We did stop for some wine tasting (again) in Blenheim, but no photos happened, and they're all about the Sauvignon Blanc, so I don't have that much to say about that. 

What was completely unexpected, however, was that we left Picton in the rain, and as we drove south it got hotter and sunnier, and hotter, and sunnier. By the time we got to Kaikoura it was 30 degrees (86 F) and just stunning. I've never actually seen Kaikoura in the summer or sun, so it was a great treat.

Another treat was that there were still just a few baby seals playing in the waterfall pool. What? Does that sound completely cute yet totally made up?! It's not. Every winter, dozens of baby seals are left, basically at baby seal daycare, in a pool at the base of a waterfall. Scenic and adorable! Sound familiar? I posted about it here last winter.

Anyways, no photos of that (shocking!), but I'll leave you with a few of the beautiful, dramatic ocean scenery of Kaikoura:

And with that, it was finished. We drove the final 2 hours to Christchurch, and the weather turned back to pelting rain and 10 degrees (50 F). We'd come to expect as much from the weather, and decided just to be grateful for the gem of an afternoon we were handed in Kaikoura.

I had booked both baches based on the fact that they had kayaks, but it was never warm enough, or still enough to be safe to go out for a paddle. I had hoped to show Kim the jewel colored water from the tree fern paths in Abel Tasman, but it was gray and misty every day we were there. I had hoped for Tui birds, fantails, and maybe even a little blue penguin, but they were all too smart to come out in the weather we were having!

But with wine and pizza we persevered, enjoyed lots of beautiful scenery anyways, and lingered in Kaikoura, since the sun and ocean felt like a gift to us after all the rain. It was a great way to end our travels, and hopefully a sweet last memory for Kim to tuck away before hopping back on a plane to California!

Harwood Hole, the Emu and the Wallaby

Sounds like the title of a failed children's book, right? On our way to Nelson last weekend we stayed at a holiday park in Murchison to break up the drive. My favorite thing about this place is not the lack of decent heating, the shared toilets situation, the questionable cleanliness of the room, or the fact that its raining every time we stay. It's that they have farm animals- but more specifically, sort of reject-like farm animals. Theres 3 emu, one of which lives behind a deer fence (re: tall) because she obviously can't be trusted. There's a blind wallaby, which lives with the naughty emu. There's chickens and ducks of all sizes. And a kunekune pig that seems to take being ugly very seriously. It's awesome.

We spent some time feeding all of the animals some bread (gluten free, Im sure they appreciated that) until the aggressive emu extended her neck about 6 feet in one second and stole the whole piece out of Scott's hands. So that was the end of that.

Unlikely neighbors... 

I will steal the bread from your fingers... and the soul from your being.

We are not super concerned about cleanliness over here.

Anyways, we spent the rest of the weekend in the Nelson area, riding bikes and hiking. Unfortunately I was sick, so we only did about half of the planned rides. And I didn't take many photos of what we rode anyways. But I did take the camera along for our hike to Harwood Hole, which happens to be the deepest hole in the southern hemisphere. Apparently.

The hole is mostly appreciated by cavers and climbers, who descend in and then hike out via a cave system at the bottom called Starlight Cave. It's also a frustration to local emergency personnel, who have to rescue several cavers every year who find conditions to perilous to manage themselves.

Since Scott and I have basically no interest in repelling into the deepest hole in New Zealand (183 meters, by the way) we just did the hike out there, which alone is noted for being spectacular. The hole itself is too large, 50 meters across at the opening, to be able to look in to, so my photos of it are pretty boring/confusing. But the walk was as beautiful as promised, so here. Pictures.

The hole

About half a kilometer before the hole, there's a turn off track to a vista. We happily added this on to our hike. The most enjoyable thing about this whole hike was the amazing rock formations along the way. The track to Harwood Hole (photos above) runs along an ancient and massive river bed- hence the refrigerator sized rocks embedded in the ground. 

The rocks on the vista changed into these amazing sawtooth-like patterns, created by acidic water carving channels into the rocks. It made for semi-perilous hiking. Really unique!

A photo of my foot, on the trail. Don't break an ankle!

Takaka Valley Overlook

On our way home we drove to Blenheim for a bike ride near White's Bay. We met up with a friend, and collected a few more friends along the way, which made for an awesome crew and absolutely no photo oppertunities (I was slow enough as it was!).

Our buddy at the start/finish of the ride.

This is how we celebrate our 4 year anniversary!

Now, a week later, our colds are finally gone and we're back at work, counting down to the next adventure!

Race Report: DME

This weekend was our first mountain bike race in New Zealand. And what a way to kick off the "season"!

The DME was the first annual memorial enduro put on by NZ Trail Solutions. James Dodds was a local mountain bike legend who was killed in a hunting accident last September. Judging by the turn out of locals and friends at the race, he was a very well loved man.

NZ Trail Solutions are a group of guys who are paid to build mountain bike trails. This is where it gets weird though... The land that NZTS builds on is private land owned by an American millionaire (or billionaire... the jurys' out). This American guy pays a bunch of guys to just build and maintain MTB trails on his land here in New Zealand, just so they are epic for his enjoyment whenever he decides to chopper in. Which is about twice a year. Oh, and he owns land with such trails and paid trail builders in several other countries as well, including Chile, Canada, and Jamaica. How bizarre is that?

Anyways, NZTS obviously got permission from the Rich American (top 1% anyone?), and they were able to hold this super cool race in Dodzy's memory. There were 200 entry spots, and due to Scott having a friend who insisted that he go to this race, we signed up quickly before the spots sold out.

Scott's Ibis soaking up the rays....

The weekend format was different from any other enduro or any race, really, that I've ever been a part of. Due to the fact that the trails are private, and are absolutely phenomenal in construction and quality, Saturday was more of a shuttle day than a practice day. Racers were shuttled to the top of the mountain and then split in to groups divided by what they would like to experience (basically grade 3, grade 4, or grade 5 trails). The groups each had an expert guide that then led them down 2400 ft. of stunning mountain bike track.

I got to experience all levels, although grade 5 put me on my feet and had me running a bit. Unfortunately the activity was way too intense to consider bringing the Canon, so I don't have decent photos. However, Caleb Smith of Spoke Magazine took this incredible shot of Scott.

Credit: Caleb Smith/Spoke Magazine

On Saturday night, there was a pre-race party at Deville Cafe & Bar in Nelson. This was a super rad indoor/outdoor venue that had a decent beer selection, and looked to make a mean flat white. I enjoyed the patio area, and plan on returning soon.

Sunday was race day. And as I mentioned, this was the funniest race I had been to. No one in our group had really pre-ridden the course. Scott & I had both seen about 1/3 of the track. But everyone at the event seemed to agree they were there for the riding, not for the race. Many people even said they wished it was just 2 shuttle days instead of 1 shuttle day and 1 race day. Anyhow, as you may guess, barely any pre-riding equalled some pretty meager race results. 

Actually, I thought Scott's were pretty decent (he got 40th overall, 13th in his class) considering he was up there with a handful of world famous downhill racers, and tons of NZTS trail builders who know the trails inside and out. My results though... haha. Ha. Let's just say I'm on a diet and a training program so the next race isn't so pathetic. 

For those of you wondering (mom), our next race is the Craigieburn Enduro in 2 weeks.

Scott getting artsy with his bike.

We stayed an extra day in Nelson this time around, and spent time having moonlit strolls along the river, exploring downtown, checking out the beach, and having good beers!

Moon over Nelson

River running by our hotel (pictured on the far right)

Afternoon view of the ocean from a hillside suburb

Last time we were in Nelson I posted a photo of the Free House. This time, we actually got to enjoy it. Not only does this place have awesome rotating beers on tap (and several of them!), they also allow you to order takeaway and have it brought in. We had Indian food from across the street, whilst thoroughly enjoying a Voyager IPA (delicious and well balanced hoppy IPA) and a Strong Ox (dark and daring, and fantastic).

Good beer deserves a photo

The Free House in the setting sun

On the inside. Yes, you get your beer at the alter. So. Cool.

Once again we were sad to leave Nelson, but enjoyed the scenic drive home along the eastern coast of the south island. 

Moon rising over Kaikoura

Ahhhh, Nelson

If you'll recall from a previous geography lesson, our original plan was to move to Nelson (or Wellington). We put aside plans to move to Wellington when we realized that we really wanted to live on the south island of New Zealand. We never gave up on trying to move to Nelson, but unsurprisingly, Christchurch is chalk full of job vacancies and Nelson is not. Nelson is arguably the most desirable place to live on the South Island. (I feel the need to defend Chch at this point, because it has a super energetic and creative revival scene that I love. Chch is a big city though, and Nelson a more average sized town, which is more our thing. They're like comparing apples and orangoutangs).

So to orient yourself geography-wise, click the link above. The drive from Christchurch to Nelson is about 5 hours, either via mid-island mountain roads, or via the east coast which provides stunning ocean views. We drove up through the mountains, and back via the beach.

Quick and dirty out the window drive-by scenery on the way to Nelson

Some rugged coastline near Kiakoura on the way home

For a 5 hour drive, it was a quick trip. We were picking up a friend who flew into Nelson. We arrived very late on Thursday night. If you'll recall, I swore that I'd spent my last night in a backpacker's hostel. As it turned out, booking accommodations in Nelson two weeks prior to our arrival during high season proved to be financially difficult. Thus, my 2nd experience (two nights this time) in a backpacker's hostel since the new year.

This one actually had a bathroom en-suite, and a really nice pool, sauna, hot-tub and massive community kitchen. It would be an awesome place to be broke and 18. Everyone was lounging around  drinking beers and smoking cigarettes and being very european. It wound have been a cool vibe at a different time in my life, I think.

Anyways, on Friday morning we had a fantastic breakfast in downtown Nelson at the Strawberry Bakehouse (click on that link to be thoroughly jealous) and then set off on our adventure to Abel Tasman National Park.

Cheesy sign or not, this place is phenomenal

When they ask if you want butter, they really mean it.

Abel Tasman National park is about an hour's drive from Nelson, in the Tasman region, on the northern tip of the southern island. Got that? The park is 22,530 hectares (or 86 square miles) of pristine beaches, aquamarine water, rainforest, and granite cliffs. Hopefully you all checked out a few pictures from my last post.

We hiked about 2 hours out, to a super long stretch of beach with barely any people on it. It's amazing to be in a place so breathtaking with so few people. But that is New Zealand.

Scott and Alex hiking along the shore

Look at the crowds...

Rainforest encroaching on the beach

The hike out to the beach was through a few different microclimates, but mainly rainforest. In places the insects were so noisy, you could barely hear your own conversation.

Incredibly large tree ferns.

Boys will be boys.

Feeling so amazed to have this in my "backyard"

My favorite photo from Abel Tasman, I feel like it captures it all...

On our way home we saw some of the famous Nelson hops (for brewing beer) that we've heard about during our own brewing ventures (soon to be continued). I'm still searching for the properly hopped beer, but at least I can be assured that they exist here. We also hit up wine tasting at 4:50pm (they closed at 5), and had what I can only describe as the speediest wine tasting of my life. If wine sampling and speed dating were combined and perhaps turned into a sport... we experienced it. But wine tasting, express or not, is almost always free in New Zealand, so you'll hear no complaints from me.

Hop-tastic

After a shower and food, we checked out "The Sprig & Fern" tap house for a couple of local brews. It was pretty cool, great ambiance. The beer was good, for New Zealand. Still not quite right. But about 100% better than Macs Gold and Monteiths, two common monstrosities they try to pass off as beer.

On Saturday before departing, we visited the Strawberry Bakehouse again and the boys went on a road ride. This gave me some much appreciated alone time, and time to explore Nelson properly. There was enough to see downtown to keep me entertained for the 4 hours they were away. I enjoyed shopping and flat whites (see previous post), visited their Saturday morning farmer's market, and checked out the cathedral in the center of town. Oddly, it also bears the name Christ Church Cathedral. I did some internet research on this, looking for some parallel between Nelson's cathedral and the one in our own disheveled state, but no luck. They just have the same, wildly popular English style name. But I guess we already knew the Brits aren't very creative (New Zealand, New Hampshire, New Brighton, New Jersey, and on. ...I wonder if Old Jersey is any classier than New Jersey?)

I also checked out some realty (future planning, sure, but I do this everywhere I go) and some cool little art galleries. Obviously, I highly recommend Nelson to those of you who come visit.

View looking down one of the main streets

Christ Church Cathedral, Nelson NZ

My view of the cathedral

An art piece I enjoyed, something different...

Super rad little bar, "The Free House", in a converted church. Sorry about the inadequate photo.

 By mid-afternoon we set off for home, via the east coast. The drive might not have been quite as scenic, but there were more towns to stop in for snacks, and I still found the ocean views to be lovely. We ate dinner in Kiakoura, a town I fully intend on visiting for more of a vacation in the future. It reminded me of Fort Bragg, Kiwi style. We also got to meet some locals:

Oh, hello!

Is that even comfortable?

They look friendlier than they smell

We're looking forward to making it back to Nelson in 2 weeks for an enduro race. The drive is long, but so beautiful it goes quickly. The weather is usually quite nice, although unpredictable like anywhere in New Zealand. I hope to find more fantastic restaurants, and maybe that elusive perfect beer.

Anyways, the final 2 hour drive wasn't so scenic in the dark, but Kiakoura didn't let us go without a beautiful parting gift: