Home sweet home

Finally found a car! 1996 Nissan Sentra hatchback. There is room in the back to stretch out but will have to see if any actual sleep is to be had... might have to pitch the tent.

Headed off to the Golden Bays area later today or in the morning then probably a drift down the west coast. I'm not sure what kind of internet I'll be able to find (if any) for awhile but will update as I can.
Love you all!

Still in Nelson and dodged a bullet

I've been looking in earnest for a vehicle and thought I'd found one. A 1996 Volvo station wagon that looked to be in pretty good shape all things considered. The right front blinker wasn't working however and the oil was low so I wanted the owner (a young girl from Norway) to have those things taken care of. She did so this morning and just as she was heading up the hill to the parking lot where we were going to meet, the engine started knocking (!) and smoke was coming out the tailpipe and engine - none of that was going on yesterday when I looked at it - it apparently JUST happened! So sad for them so lucky for me.

So I am back at the hostel for the night and pondering what my next move is. Finding a decent car for little money is proving difficult but I really would prefer to have my own transportation so will probably keep looking - maybe in Christchurch.

Pictures of Queen Charlotte and Abel Tasman treks

Hated to do it but facebook seems better to post large quantities of photos. If I figure out how to do the same here I'll move them all here but for now 2 albums are up on my Rasta Pasta facebook page (the one with namesake Rasta the husky as the primary photo). Its pretty late and I'm really beat so details of the AT walk will have to wait. More in a day or two.

Abel Tasman booked

Got into Nelson yesterday afternoon and bought a 1 person tent right across the street from the bus depot.  The hostel is out by the beach so they came to pick me up :).
Walked into town (about an hour each way) to the I-Site/DOC facility to figure out my Abel Tasman trek. The people there were so extraordinary. In general I find service and competence in this country to be exceptional (and tipping isn't expected!).  The AT is busy enough that the huts or campsites have to all be booked in advance. Tomorrow I will move to a hostel in town so I can get the bus at 7am on Weds to Marahau, from there a water taxi will take me and my stuff - no shunting this time I'll have to carry it all :( - to Totaranui. I'll be doing a day hike to separation point and camping at Totaranui on Weds night (2/18). This is backwards from the way most people do the track but it works better for the crossing at Awaroa Inlet which has to be timed with the tides - I will cross sometime after 3pm then continue on to Onetahuti Bay campground for the night of the 19th followed by a night at Watering Cove on the 20th. On the 21st I will get off the beaten track and head inland for a one night stay (very few do this apparently) at the Castle Rocks hut campground. Then back out to meet the bus back to Nelson by 5pm on the 22nd. Wish me luck!

To Nelson tomorrow

Tired of Picton time to move on. After such a great experience on the Queen Charlotte Track I have decided to see if I can put together another great walk - probably Abel Tasman, so to that end will head to Nelson tomorrow and have 2 nites booked at the Nelson Beach Hostel there. Need to find a tent! The one I used for QCT was rented from the hostel in Picton. Still keeping my eyes open for the right travel vehicle but I don't want to waste much more time looking for it, perhaps it will come to me when the time is right.

Queen Charlotte Trail

71 km of extraordinary beauty. What more can I say? Except that I am pretty spent and everything hurts. Here's the itinerary:
15 km the first day from Ship Cove to Miners Camp - much of this was under dark cover of old growth forest. First night spent camping in an orchard owned by an elderly couple. Slept in the grass with the chickens! Was a bit worried about my pack getting there but it was waiting for me when I stumbled into camp.
11 km to Camp Bay and a quandary. The next leg is 24.5 km (about 15 miles) if I want my pack shunted, if I take it myself I can break it up but the terrain looks to be pretty steep and dry (can't use filter for water have to carry more). In the end I stayed one night in the campground and the next at "Noeline's Homestay" - an experience I'm so glad to have had. Noeline is 84 and still traveling 6-9 weeks every year - she's been to 62 different countries, none of them sharing her language or culture (she doesn't see the point of going somewhere she'd recognize).  She stays in hostels and never plans anything until she gets there. She is my hero!
24.5 km (plus the 45mins to the trail from Noelines) to Bay of Many Coves. Steep uphills, steep downhills, terrain not as nice but views of the bay were simply stunning. Very tired.
7.5 km to Mistletoe Bay. Hard day after yesterday and a restless night on cold hard ground. Mistletoe Bay is an eco camp that hosts school children a week at a time to teach them about sustainable living and other nature things - much like outdoor camp that Erik attended when he was in school. They were between kids and I nearly had the place to myself. Slept on the couch most of the afternoon then all night as well. Pack was delivered yet again without a hitch but I will have to carry it tomorrow luckily the hills are mild from here on out.
12.5 km to Anakiwa. Glad and sad to be done what an experience!

Into the bush

Wasted yesterday looking for a car to buy. There is one hopeful I found but the owners were off using it for a week back next weekend. I got a bit frustrated this morning and went out looking for something interesting to do. Many at the hostel were talking about the Queen Charlotte Trail (http://www.qctrack.co.nz/). Long story short, I'm booked on a boat to Ship Cove in the morning. 71km end to end. The boat company will shunt my pack between camping sites but the daily distance is very far so I'm not sure I'll make use of it. Also don't have to complete the trek, the boat stops 4 or 5 places and I can jump off at any of them. I have booked a night in the hostel for next Friday so will be back by then.  I'm sure I'll have more to say then, this is supposed to be just amazingly beautiful.

Wellington - a city after mine own heart

Monday Feb 2

Bus ride from Auckland to Wellington close to 9 hours for just $38. I found another bus company after I'd booked it that would've been only $18! Rained off and on all day.
The landscape of the north island is amazingly varied. Much of it farm and grazing land but variations every 30-60 mins from open fields to forest even a barren volcanic wasteland for a stretch. There's an enormous inland lake a bit north of Wellington called Lake Wairarapa. Many places here are named from the native Maori language and much like in Hawaii many are impossible for us 'mercans to pronounce (what do you do with 4-5 vowels in a row?).

Tues Feb 3
I'm really liking Wellington. Today was sunny and bright high around 74F, windy (as I suspect it always is being on the coast). Walked the pier, went to the library for lunch then toured Parliament which was almost as easy as walking into city govt in the states. Life seems much more simple and innocent here. I've been told by a couple of Kiwi's now that crime has always been low but is somewhat on the rise now.

Parliament

Hostel room is above a nightclub so very noisy even with earbuds in but it is clean compared to the one in Auckland and I like my bed by the window. Only one other (interesting female dentist from the Netherlands) in a 4 bunk room last night and it was fine, 3 others would've been incredibly crowded. Feeling pretty tired today so I've decided to stay until at least Thurs, maybe longer.

Weds Feb 4
Hike up Mt Victoria to view the city from on high then on to the Te Papa Tongarewa museum. Was really too exhausted to take full advantage of all that the museum had to offer. Most interesting part was about an hour long conversation with a Maori woman. New Zealand had no human population until about 700 years ago when Polynesian people arrived by boat. Europeans started showing up in a time frame similar to the US. The Maori battled amongst themselves over disagreement about what to do with all the foreigners. Many profited off the trade and welcomed them others saw what was coming and the loss of their way of life. Many died as a result of diseases brought here. In the 1840 the English managed to squeeze out the French and sign a treaty (the treaty of Waitangi) with over 500 Maori tribal chiefs. This is where it gets interesting. The treaty that the chiefs signed said that the land would be loaned to the British crown for a period of 99 years and then would be returned to the Maori people. The translation presented to the Queen had no such provision. The Maori people are full fledged citizens with representation in the NZ parliament and as such are fighting for the return of their lands in the courts. I'm sure it's a complicated debate with both sides being right (as in most things) but it was interesting to hear the Maori side. They are dedicated to keeping their culture and language alive and the Maori language is posted everywhere alongside English. Tattoos and body art are a big part of Maori culture. The treaty was signed drawing the facial markings of each of the chiefs. Apparently there was a time when the Maori were killed for their heads - for the art drawn there. They are fighting for return of these remains of their people, she said there are still 14 about in the world including 2 in New York.

Traditional storehouse called a pataka. The picture really doesn't do it justice, the carvings are magnificent thousands of hours of work went into this small building. There was a sacred meeting place even more elaborate next to it but we were asked not to photograph it.

View of the harbor from the beautiful open square built for the enjoyment of the people

Thurs Feb 5
About to board ferry to Picton. First night in hostel booked. I'm really getting anxious to find a vehicle for a bit of my own space and to stop lugging so much stuff everywhere I go.