Happy New Year

As the year comes to a close, and we say our goodbyes to people at work 'until next year', I realise that we have been in one place for over one year. This is a new experience for me, as for the five Decembers prior to this one I'd been living in a new house/location. I had grown to expect goodbyes, but in the sense that I was moving on to something new. This December, I find myself in the same home and the same job as last year at this time. As a result of staying put for over a year, I'm also learning another new experience - outlasting people and things. Since we've moved into this neighbourhood, I've seen a Burger King turn into a Mexicali Fresh, an old apartment building torn down and replaced by a modern, taller block. I've adapted to the kiwi way of spelling words such as neighbour and colour and programme, and have to go back to delete the extra letters if I'm writing a blog post or a letter back home. I've said goodbye to 6 close coworkers who have moved on to other jobs and/or cities.

This New Year's Eve we stayed put in our little city of Auckland and headed down the street a few kilometres to see the fireworks shot from the Sky Tower. A great way to end a full year in Auckland, and to kick start the next one. It was nice to be home and not have to say any more 'goodbyes' for the year. Here's hoping that 2015 will be the best year yet, and without too many goodbyes (or at least if there are any, it's because I chose to move one, I don't think I can take yet another coworker leaving!).

Christchurch

Shipping Container Market

Under Construction

The Old Cathedral

We finally made it to Christchurch, and with it the end of our South Island adventure. It's a bit of a sad way to end the week, as the earthquake damage is still very prevalent throughout the downtown area. They have tried to bring some color and artwork to the city and construction sites, but it is still very much a work in progress. As it has been over 3 years since the earthquake, the city itself has lost a lot of the life it must've had. There are 'temporary' structures built to replace what was destroyed and to try to keep a stream of people coming into the town for entertainment. Unfortunately, these temporary structures seem to be becoming more permanent fixtures in the city.

Recycled Music

I must admit, these temporary structures and all the construction art give the city a bit of charm and culture of their own. I quite enjoyed the shipping container market. It was popular and well laid out and had a nice vibe to it. A nice place to go on a beautiful day for some lunch and browsing with friends. 

One of the key things we wanted to see in Christchurch was the Cardboard Cathedral. Since we had plenty of time before our flight and had a beautiful day, we took a scenic route to get there. I was hoping we could walk along the river, but the construction made that more difficult than anticipated, so we had to double back.

The trolley is up and running!

We stopped briefly in a square to try our hand at some musical instruments made from recycled construction materials, but as everyone seemed anxious to get to the Cardboard Cathedral we didn't stay long.

One part of the city that seemed remarkably in tact was New Regent St. It had the trolley restored and some quirky shops and cafes to stop in. Even the store fronts were beautiful.

Cardboard Cathedral

Cardboard Cathedral

Finally, we made it to the Cardboard Cathedral. It was in a beautiful green square, and even had a floating art sculpture in the center. The outside of the building looked decidedly less cardboard than I was expecting. The entire front was almost entirely stained glass. Once inside, the cardboard name became more apparent.

Arthur's Pass

After a big morning on the heli-hike, we refueled at the same local watering hole we had found for dinner. We liked it so much, and after our (bad) fish & chips experience in Haast Pass, we weren't sure when our next good meal would be. We had a long drive ahead of us to get to Arthur's Pass, where after much searching I had finally found a suitable place to lay our heads and break up the journey to Christchurch.

We stopped at Franz Joseph glacier on our way through and walked 30min to get some nice views of it. This hike is much easier and more accessible (and flatter!) than the Fox Glacier view hike. It's also remarkably beautiful with waterfalls and a stream running along part of it. Unfortunately, I was growing tired and getting nervous about the long drive ahead, so we rounded everyone up and climbed back in the people mover to continue our journey.

I knew the drive would contain steep grades, possible drop offs and cliffs, and windy roads. However, I wasn't expecting to see railroad tracks cutting through the middle of roundabouts! Luckily there were no trains in sight, otherwise I don't know if I'd have known what to do. The second time we came across this, it was a bit easier to navigate. If I come across a third one ever, I'll be a pro!

I was expecting a steep climb for this part of the journey, but the sign for Otira Gorge was not a welcome sight. My passengers with vertigo and the knowledge that there could be a slip or rock fall around any bend was making me tense. I was responsible for 5 other lives and had heard too many stories of accidents caused by things outside my control. All I could do was breathe and focus on making it as safe a journey as possible given the things within my control. Fortunately, the weather was in our favor again and we did not encounter any ice, snow, rock fall or other hazard.

There was however a waterfall diverted over the highway via a concrete channel. Another first for me in driving. We stopped just past it so I could stretch my legs and P made a pile of sticks to entertain the resident kea.

Five more minutes drive and we finally made it to our destination. It was a lovely little 'crib' (NZ South Island vernacular) seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully we had our resident fire minder, P's dad, to keep us warm and cozy. We arrived too late to dine at the local cafe, so we rummaged through the cupboards to find some pasta, beans, corn, diced tomatos and a few limited spices to add to our cheese and lettuce to make a make-shift dinner. It didn't turn out too bad in the end, and everyone was tired and hungry enough that there were no complaints, and no leftovers.

The next morning, we took advantage of the fact that we were situated at the trail head for Punchbowl Falls, and went for an early morning hike. The endless stairs were a challenge so early in the morning, but we made it in the end and the views were impressive. P scurried back to get a closer view of the falls, and ended up getting an unexpected shower in the process.

Fox Glacier Heli-hike

Fox Glacier - one of two glaciers on New Zealand's west coast. It's relatively easy to access due to its low altitude and proximity to the coast. This also makes it unique in that it's surrounded by jungle-like forest. Unfortunately, the glacier is receding and quite quickly. On one of our hikes we saw a sign marking where the glacier was 20 years ago and it was almost at the parking lot. Now you have to walk 40 minutes to get to a viewpoint where you're still not even at the glacier. A HUGE difference in a short time. If I remember correctly, our heli-hike guide told us the glacier can move up to 3 metres a day! You do not want to be stuck in a crevasse when that happens.

But I am getting ahead of myself. We booked a spot on the Fox Glacier Guides 'Flying Fox' Heli-hike days in advance, hoping for good weather. Apparently 60% of the helicopter flights get cancelled due to weather. We were all excited and a bit nervous about the day. According to reviews the hike was easy enough, with the guides having made steps and easy paths for you to cross, but none of us had ever seen a glacier, let alone walked on one, before and so we were a bit apprehensive. And that's not even accounting for the helicopter ride itself. I was excited for that part of the journey, but had to keep P from reminding me how helicopters work and how remarkable it is that they can fly in any weather conditions. If the weather changes suddenly and there are too many clouds, the helicopter might not be able to fly and we could be stuck on the glacier. Luckily, everything worked perfectly and the weather continued to cooperate with us as it had for the rest of the trip so far.

We landed on the middle of the 13 km long glacier, in a circle of rocks that had been placed there by Fox Glacier Guides before we arrived. There was a path outlined by stones that we followed to a roped off waiting area. We were load #1, so we waited on the ice as 4 more helicopters (the last containing our hike guides) landed and unloaded.

When everyone had landed, we put on our crampons - spiky things you can strap to the bottom of your boots to help you walk on ice, and got another safety briefing. Our group of 22 split into two groups. It's supposed to be a ratio of 1 guide to 11 people, but they were training new guides for the high season rush so we each got 2 guides for 11 people, which was really nice. The newbie was in front leading the way, and the experienced guide in back, chatting, answering questions, and making sure everything was okay.

The reviews were right, the hike was easy. The company had done an excellent job of making sure there were well formed steps to get us down into the crevasse or caves, and filling in the deep cracks with lots of ice so that we could walk through the crevasse. One thing I did notice, is that the ice was much softer and there was much more water and puddles we had to jump over on our way back. We were on the morning tour so landed on the glacier around 10am and left it around 12. The sun had been busy in that time.

It's really hard to capture the beauty of it all on camera or in words, but I'll try my best. I'm really glad we decided to do the heli-hike. The helicopter ride was smooth and breathtaking, and the pilot did a great job of showing us up and down the glacier. However, there is nothing like seeing the glacier up close. Walking into the crevasses, through the tunnels and inside the caves- all made of ice! Some of the ice was rock solid and smooth. Some of it was like a lattice of crystals. It seemed like you could break it apart, but it was very strong. I managed to get a small piece to taste.

Fortunately, we were able to explore an ice cave. We came out of it a bit wet as there was water flowing down both sides at one point and it was very narrow. I'm not sure it was going to be fit for exploring for much longer. The neat thing about the cave was that you could see the light shining through the ice above you and all the different shades of blue it created. What a fantastic day! I highly recommend the heli-hike tour to anyone. Well worth it!