Study Abroad in New Zealand

We got picked up super early from Queenstown and were taken on a bus down to Fiordland.  It takes about four hours to drive there even though on a map they are pretty close because the only way to get there is to go down and around the mountains.  Our bus driver was very funny and knowledgeable, though, and he made the trip entertaining and interesting by telling us about the areas we were going through and about New Zealand in general.  Along the way we made a few stops including Te Anau (a town next to the second biggest lake in New Zealand), the Mirror Lakes, and a small freezing cold stream where we got to see Kea birds up close.

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Once we got to Milford Sound, we got onto our boat from the company Mitre Peak.  It was a smaller boat than that of a lot of the other companies, so we were able to get a lot closer to the waterfalls and other sights.  I was worried that it was going to be raining since it rains two out of every three days in Fiordland, but it was actually completely clear and sunny.  On the boat, we went out through the fjords and got to see several waterfalls and other points of interest.  We could even see the fault line that separates the east and west sides of the South Island.  On the way back we got very close to some rocks and got to see fur seals.  They were adorable!

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The last part of the tour was really funny.  We were going by a waterfall and getting very close, so they wanted everyone to know that if you are standing at front of the boat you will get wet.  They said over the speakers, “There is no way to express how wet you will get.”  Everyone quickly got back inside, leaving only Dad.  He had put on his rain pants and coat and got the GoPro.  He stood at the front of the boat as it got super close and he quickly was blasted with mist and got soaking wet.  Everyone inside was watching him, laughing and asking if he was dared to do it.  He was able to quickly dry off though, and I hope the video will come out cool.

After we got back off the boat at Milford Sound, it was time to drive back to Queenstown.  This time, we only stopped at Te Anau, so it didn’t take as long.  Once we got back in town, we went and got dinner and then for dessert went back to the Cookie Time Cookie Bar for some yummy treats.

Since Unc reached us a day late, we had to combine the first two days of our road trip into one.  That meant it would be a full, busy day, but doable.  We left Christchurch and headed south, stopping at another famous pie shop in Fairlie for a mid-morning snack.  Then, we continued on to Lake Tekapo, where I went on the Physsoc trip at the end of my break.  The water there is such a bright, clear blue color that it is not to be missed, and it was along the way, so we could stop there without losing too much time.  The Church of the Good Shepherd is a picturesque stone church right next to the lake, so we stopped to take a few photos before continuing on.

We kept driving towards Wanaka, passing by Lake Pukaki and about four different rainbows.  Once we got to Wanaka we drove through the town and went to Roys Peak, a day hike that I’d heard has one of the best views in the South Island.  It was supposed to take about six hours to go up and down, and we only had about four until the sun was setting, so we walked quickly.  It was very steep at first, but the middle was not as bad.  There were several sheep and cows along the way as well.  As we got nearer to the top, it got muddier and then we reached the area where there was snow on the ground.  It also started to get cloudier around the top of the mountain, so for a bit the beautiful view was hidden.

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As we got nearer to the lookout point at the top, we thought the view wouldn’t get any better because of the clouds, so we stopped to take pictures while we could.  But, just as we turned around, the clouds started to part and a perfect opening was created so we could see Lake Wanaka, the town, and the surrounding mountains.  It definitely was one of my favorite views I’ve seen here and I was so glad we did this hike.

Mom, Dad, and Lindsey decided to head back down from this point, but since we were only about a half hour walk from the lookout point, I wanted to finish the hike so Unc and I continued on.  We got up to the top and the sun was just starting to set, so that combined with the hazy clouds around us made the view amazing.  We quickly started back down so we wouldn’t have to walk in the dark too long.  We ended up getting back down to the car park in about four and a half hours, so we made good time on this hike.  We all stood out and admired the stars for a couple minutes (you can see so many more here than back in the US) and then drove the last distance to Queenstown, where we were staying the night.

On our last day before leaving to travel around the rest of New Zealand, we went for a hike in the Port Hills in the morning.  It was a sunny morning, so going to hike Bridle Path was a nice way to get outside.  It’s a short walk, but steep so I don’t think Mom, Dad, and Lindsey were quite prepared for the difficulty.  But, once we got to the top the view is worth it.  We walked over towards the gondola station and went inside to the cafe to eat lunch.  Then, we headed back down the way we came up.

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In the afternoon it was supposed to rain, so we had gotten tickets to the International Antarctic Centre, which I had actually visited with friends just the week before.  It is a really well done museum though, so I was happy to go back.  There is an Antarctic storm simulator, a Haggland ride (the vehicles they use in Antarctica), a 4D movie theater, exhibits about Antarctica, and a penguin enclosure.  We got to watch a penguin feeding, which was super cute.  The penguins at the Antarctic Centre are ones that cannot be released back into the wild, so some have to be hand fed while others can be fed from the water.  Some are White Flippered Penguins (like the one I saw in Akaroa) and some are Little Blue Penguins.  Both, are some of the smallest penguins in the world and can only be found around the coast of New Zealand.

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After we had stayed until just about the close of the Antarctic Centre, we went to pick up Unc at the airport.  He had to come a day later than he had originally planned, but he did eventually make it to us.  For dinner, we went to C1 Espresso, a restaurant that I had also visited earlier with friends but is so cool I had to go back.  You get your food in pneumatic tubes like at the bank, and can watch it fly through from the kitchen to your table.  There are also several other unique parts to the restaurant, like in the bathrooms, where you have to walk through a moving bookshelf to get in and then Harry Potter is being read aloud over the speakers.  The water is also dispensed through an old sewing machine.  Dad ordered a color changing iced tea, which came with beakers to drink out of and a syringe of magic syrup that made it change from blue to purple.  After having a fun dinner, we all were tired so we went home and went right to bed.

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On Saturday we decided to take a day trip out towards Arthur’s Pass.  There were a couple spots that I had been to before that I wanted to show Mom, Dad, and Lindsey, and I thought if we had extra time we could fit in another short walk.  First, we stopped at the Sheffield Pie Shop, which is famous for their meat pies.  Since it was the morning, we decided to try to come back on the way home for meat pies and just stick to other baked goods.

On the drive to Arthur’s Pass

Then, we went to Castle Hill, the area covered with huge limestone rocks.  You can look back at my past blog post to compare pictures from then versus now.  This time, there was a bit of snow on the ground, so it was definitely more difficult to climb up the hill and onto some of the rocks.  It was still fun to explore for a bit, though, and it was fun to watch some kids trying to sled down the little bit of snow that was on the ground.

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After Castle Hill, we drove a few minutes down the road to Cave Stream.  We got out and walked down the path so we could see the cave and stream, but it would have been much too cold to do the full walk, so we just went to check it out.

Cave Stream, but with snow this time

Next, we had a little more time in the afternoon so we drove further to Arthur’s Pass and did the walk to Devil’s Punchbowl Falls.  This is a walk that takes about half an hour to a waterfall.  It looked like it had snowed recently and was like a winter wonderland.  The stairs were a bit slippery at times, but when we made it to the falls it was totally worth it.  We spent some time admiring the waterfall and then headed back the same way we came.

On the way back to Christchurch, we stopped at Sheffield again to get some meat pies.  I had an apple pie and Mom, Dad, and Lindsey all tried their first New Zealand meat pies.  When we got back, we all showered and changed and then headed back to University of Canterbury to have dinner with a few of my friends.  My friend Dingding taught us how to make dumplings and we got to help her finish up cooking some Chinese food and Thomas had made Pavlova for dessert.  I was glad to introduce a few of my friends to my family and see them one last time before leaving.

Homemade Pavlova

Homemade dumplings

Mom, Dad, and Lindsey arrived in Christchurch later on Thursday than they had originally planned, but Unc’s flights were also somewhat delayed so we had three full days in Christchurch before we would be leaving on our tour around New Zealand.  On Friday, we woke up and went for brunch at a nearby restaurant and then drove to the University of Canterbury campus so I could show them around.  We walked through all the buildings that I spent time in (the engineering core, the new science building, the library, etc.) and then made a loop around campus and ended back at my apartment.  I turned in my room key and said goodbye to the Ilam Apartments.

Next, we parked back at our VRBO home and decided to walk through Hagley Park and the city center, which were very close by.  Many of the flowers are not in bloom and the trees don’t have leaves right now, but the park is still really beautiful and we enjoyed walking around.  Then, we came out on the other side of the park and walked through the city center to Cathedral Square, where the old cathedral still stands even after being severely damaged in the earthquake.  We then made our way over to the new “Cardboard Cathedral” and the nearby playground where we had fun trying out the ziplines, trampolines, and huge slides that are still fun for adults.  There were quite a few interesting buildings that we saw along the way as well.

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That night, we drove to Lyttelton, where there was a Festival of Lights to celebrate Matariki, the Maori new year.  There was quite a bit of traffic, so we ended up missing a couple performances, but were in time for the fireworks.  After the fireworks show, we ate dinner at a nearby restaurant and then walked down the street to check out all the food stands and performances that were part of the festival.

During the last week of exams, my friends and I had a few days between exams so we decided to rent a car and go on a day trip to Akaroa, which is on Banks Peninsula.  It took us about two hours total to get there, but we took the scenic route and stopped to take pictures and do a short hike up to a lookout.  It was a beautiful drive, even though it was pretty cloudy and foggy.  We could see the mountains and harbors on both sides of the peninsula.

Once we got to Akaroa, we walked through the town, which was very cute.  We stopped at a fish and chips shop for lunch and then Bryn, Brian, and I went to get on a Nature Cruise that we had gotten tickets for.  We got on the boat and they took us out in Akaroa Harbour and then out into the Pacific Ocean, pointing out any wildlife that we saw along the way.

First, we saw a White Flippered Penguin, which was really exciting.  Ever since I came to New Zealand, seeing a penguin in the wild has been at the top of my bucket list, so I was glad to finally check that off.  The White Flippered Penguin is one of the smallest species of penguin (hence why it’s so hard to see in pictures) and they can only be found in this area in Canterbury.

Next, a bunch of Hector’s Dolphins came around the boat.  They swam right up next to us and even jumped out of the water.  They are the smallest and rarest species of dolphin, so it was also special to see them as they came up so close to the boat.  Here’s a video that Bryn took on her GoPro:

After the dolphins swam away we kept going and went closer to the rocks at the edge of the peninsula.  The whole area was created by volcanoes, so the volcanic rock is pretty interesting, especially for Brian, who is a geology student.  On some of the rocks we saw fur seals.  They were hard to spot because they blend into the rocks, but when they began waddling around we could easily see them.  The little seal pups were so cute!

After two hours on the nature cruise, we got back to Akaroa and met up with Kaelyn and Heather who had been shopping and exploring the town while we were on the boat.  We drove back towards Christchurch and stopped at Birdlings Flat beach, where there are tons of different colored rocks.  We had fun looking for especially pretty colored ones and enjoying the sunset.  Then, we got back in the car and drove the rest of the way back to UC.

On our last day of our trip to Abel Tasman, we woke up early so that we could cross the last estuary before the car park at low tide.  While we did have to get a little wet and sandy, it was much better than it would have been a couple hours later and I was able to wear flip flops so that my feet hurt much less.

After getting across the estuary, we only had a few hundred meters to walk to the car, and from there we drove to our next stop on the list, Rawhiti Cave.  This was a quick stop nearby that Bryn had found online, so we decided to check it out.  Even Thomas had never been there before, so we didn’t really know what to expect.  At first, the trail ran next to a dry riverbed and was relatively flat and we were able to walk pretty quickly and easily since we weren’t carrying our heavy packs.  But, soon it started getting pretty steep so we all were a little discouraged after walking for a little while.

After about 30 minutes or so, we reached the cave and it was totally worth the steep hike.  There were stairs and a platform built down a little ways into the cave and you couldn’t go beyond that, but the entire cave was full of dripping stalactites and stalagmites.  A sign told us that they are phytokarst, which is a “a phenomenon where plants and calcium work together to ‘grow’ stalactites and stalagmites.”

We took a few minutes to appreciate the incredible cave and take pictures, and then headed back down the steep trail to the car.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t as hard going down as I had imagined, although there were a few slips along the way.  We then got in the car and drove to the closest town, Takaka.

In Takaka, we stopped at a cute café to get some food for brunch, since it was still the morning.  Then, we started to head in the direction back towards Christchurch, although we were going to go along the coast this time so we could stop at a couple places along the way.  First, we reached Nelson, a bigger town where we were hoping to get fish and chips for a late lunch.  Unfortunately, the three shops we tried were all closed between 2 and 4, so we ended up getting pizza instead.

After driving for a couple more hours, we reached Kaikoura and ended up stopping there so some of us could get fish and chips or, in my case, ice cream for dinner.  After Kaikoura, it was just three hours back to Christchurch and almost everyone fell asleep.  This road trip definitely tired us all out, but was really fun and a great way to see Abel Tasman.  Not only was I glad to see this amazing part of New Zealand, but the people I was with made it so much fun, even with the camping and wading across estuaries (not my favorite activities).  It’s sad that everyone is leaving to go home soon, so it was awesome to have some great last memories with these great friends.

The Abel Tasman Crew (from left to right: Thomas, Maia, me, Bryn, Kaelyn, Brian)

On our third day in Abel Tasman, we slept in a bit since we didn’t have too far to hike and didn’t have to worry about tides.  All of us were either sore, sick, or just hurting in some way.  Luckily for me, only the bottoms of my feet were really bothering me from walking on the rocks in the estuary the day before.  After getting all our packs together and eating some breakfast we headed off.

The hike was definitely more up and down than the previous days, but since we were relaxed with our time, we stopped at a couple of the beaches that we hiked to and spent some time relaxing and exploring.  We first got to Tonga Quarry, which is a beach that used to be the site of a marble quarry.  There were large blocks of marble still on the beach.  There was also a Weka (a brown, flightless bird) that kept following us around and hoping for us to give it food.  Bryn decided to name him Gerald and fed him some cashews.  He even posed for a selfie with us.

Gerald, our Weka friend

After about an hour on the beach, we got ready to keep going and hiked to Onetahuti Beach.  There, we had to walk down the beach to get to the next part of the trail, which included having to hop over a little stream which ended up being difficult for everyone since we had heavy packs, so I think almost everyone got wet feet.

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We finished up the last part of the trail to get to Awaroa, where we would be staying that night.  In Awaroa, there is a lodge and café that Thomas had told us about and we were all looking forward to getting pizza.  Sadly, we found out that because it is the winter the lodge and café were closed.  It makes sense since there were not nearly as many people in Abel Tasman as there are during the summer, but we were all a little disappointed.

We only had to walk a little further to where we would be staying the night, so we got there pretty early in the afternoon.  We ended up sitting on the porch of the hut and talking and listening to Disney music (my suggestion, of course) and then went inside to warm up by the fire.  Everyone was pretty tired and Brian and Kaelyn were not feeling well, so we played Contact for a little bit but then we went to sleep pretty early.

On Sunday morning we woke up and heard Thomas’ voice outside our tent.  We were all so surprised that he made it all the way to us so early.  He traveled more than 22 kilometers in one night, when we were planning to travel that far spread over three days.  It does help that he’s so tall and tends to walk faster than all of us, but we were still shocked to see him so early.

It was lightly raining, so we packed up our sleeping bags and packs one at a time since there wasn’t much room to move around in the tent.  After we had gotten everything packed up and eaten breakfast, we left our packs at the campsite kitchen shelter and left on a short loop track that goes out to Pitt Head and back.  It stopped raining pretty soon after we started walking, and we enjoyed walking without our heavy packs.  We stopped at several lookouts and then at a beach on the way back.

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When we returned to the campsite, Kaelyn was surprised to find the apples that she had put in an outer pocket of her pack had been pecked apart by Wekas, the brown flightless birds that walked around the campsite looking for food.  She was a little upset, but we were all pretty amused that they had found them.  She ended up putting the apples in the grass, and we all laughed when a Weka came, picked up the entire apple, and ran off.

After this first hike, Maia had realized she didn’t have her phone.  She decided to retrace our steps and look for it.  Around a half an hour later she returned with her phone, which had apparently fallen out of her jacket in a cave down at the beach.  It was lucky that she found it, even though it wasn’t working properly.

We headed off on our hike for the day and Thomas persuaded us to take the low tide route across an estuary, even though it wasn’t exactly low tide anymore.  He was understandably tired from all the walking he had done the night before and didn’t want to take the longer, more hilly route if we didn’t have to.  I wasn’t too thrilled about this since I didn’t want to have to get my shoes wet or wade into the freezing water and mud with bare feet.  But, everyone else was going that way so I went along with them and reluctantly trudged through the estuary, which luckily only went up to about our knees.  After getting through the estuary, I was happy to dry off my feet, put my shoes back on, and continue on the hike.

Crossing the estuary

Our next stop was at Cleopatra’s pool, where there is a little waterfall and pool from a river.  We climbed over the rocks to get a good view and saw that there is a natural water slide.  None of us really wanted to swim since it was pretty cold out, but right before we left Maia decided she wanted to go for it and try out the water slide.  However, she forgot to take off her glasses and before any of us could stop her, she was down the slide and the glasses were nowhere to be found.  Thomas and Bryn even went in to help her look, but her glasses were gone.  Maia really had bad luck this day, and while we all felt terrible, we were able to laugh it off and try to make the best of the situation.

Cleopatra’s Pool

The rest of our hike was relatively uneventful compared to the mishaps from earlier in the day, but we did get to see a lot of pretty views.  The coastal walk reminded me a little bit of the Cinque Terre trek that we did in Italy, except that it was much cooler and the forest that we were walking through was more like a rain forest.  We did cross several bridges though, including a very bouncy suspension bridge.

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After walking for about three hours we reached the Bark Bay Hut, where we would be staying that night.  We had decided to stay in the hut rather than camp since it was supposed to rain that night, and I was very glad for that.  The hut was pretty cute with benches and tables, as well as a fire to sit around and warm us up.  The beds were like large bunk beds that you could put about six mattresses across, so we all fit on the top bunk.  It was so nice to be warm and rest after our hike, and we had fun playing Contact, a word game, throughout the evening.  We ended up going to bed pretty early since we were all pretty exhausted and I was so happy to sleep on a mattress where I could fully extend my legs.

Hut sweet hut

Last Friday was the last day of classes here at University of Canterbury, and with a week of study time before exams start, Bryn, Kaelyn, Thomas, Maia, Brian, and I decided to plan a four day trip to Abel Tasman National Park.  The Abel Tasman Coastal Track is one of the Great Walks, and I have heard nothing but great things about the beautiful beaches there, so I was excited to get to fit in a visit before leaving New Zealand.

The view on the drive to Abel Tasman

On Saturday morning, we woke up early and left Christchurch at 7:00.  We wanted to get on the road early so that we would make it to Abel Tasman early enough to do the first part of the hike that afternoon.  Basically, the plan was to start at the southern end of the track, in Marahau, and have Thomas drive up to the northern end with the car, so that he could backtrack until we met up sometime the next day.  We drove about six hours to Marahau, stopping at some scenic areas and a cute cafe in Motueka, where Maia knew a lady who lives there and offered to meet us and buy us all coffee and hot chocolate, which was very nice.

Ready to start hiking!

Once arriving at Marahau, we got organized and headed over to the beginning of the track.  We had about three and a half hours of walking to do and it was already 2:00, so we walked quickly and made good time.  Pretty soon after starting the hike, we ran into a couple who were stopping to take pictures.  A little ways off the path was a seal laying down by a stream.  It was so cute, and I was so happy I got to see one, since there are usually seal colonies on the islands at Abel Tasman, but we weren’t planning on seeing them because you would have to kayak out there.

Seal spotted!

Continuing on the hike, we saw many beautiful views of the beaches, islands, and mountains in the park.  The walk was not too bad either, and as it started to get darker, we didn’t even need to use our headlamps until we really couldn’t see.  We had a fun time talking and laughing as we walked and were able to all keep up at a good pace.  We reached the Anchorage campsite in the early evening and found a place to set up our tents.  Then, we sat at a picnic table and ate dinner as the stars began to come out.  It was getting chilly, so we all put on more layers.  We also met a group of people at the next campsite over who had a fire going, so we joined them and talked with them for a bit.  They were all in high school still, and were just hanging out in the park for a long weekend.

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Later, we decided to go walk on the beach and look at the stars.  The moon was really bright that night, so we had fun making moon shadows.  Then, we all got into our tents and tried to go to sleep.  I was in a two person tent with Kaelyn and Maia, so it was a little tight, especially with all our packs in there as well since it was supposed to rain.  We made it work, but it definitely was not comfortable.