Final entry for this trip:
On the day after xmas, we bade farewell to our friends in QT and started the arduous journey back to Auckland. It's about 24 hours of travel (including the ferry) so we wanted to break it up into bite sized chunks. The first night we stopped in Twizel again, and looked to see if we could ford the river. No luck, so I had to resort to pond fishing. Got a decent Brown.
The next night was Christchurch again. On the 28th we made the ferry crossing into Wellington and stopped there for the night. If you want to see pictures of the crossing, go back to my November 18th post and just reverse the order of the photos. The next day we made it as far as Taumarunui and spent the night. Today is Dec. 30th, and our last night in NZ.
Before making this post, I thought I would sort of combine both of our conclusions about our experience. I asked Cynthia to reflect on the last three months. Being the chatterbox that she is, she said "I don't know...it was a good vacation, I'd like to come here again, but I wouldn't want to live here". Fair enough. Unfortunately for you, I am not so succinct.
As I ponder the last three months I have a lot of conflicting emotions. In one way, it seems like we have been here a long time. In another, it was over all too quickly. Sometimes it doesn't feel like we were here at all. As I look out the window here in Auckland, we might as well be in LA. One thing we agree on is that we spent way too much time on the North Island.
The North Island and the South Island are as different as night and day. When you head south across the ferry, you enter a different world. Its a world that suits us. It's more what we are used to. Crossing the island from west to east you go from glaciers and rain forest (average rainfall in Milford Sound, 23 FEET) to barren dry plains (average rainfall on the Otago gold fields, 3"), to ocean. All within a couple hundred miles. The towns are small, and the people are friendly. In the southwest corner of the island is Fiordland. There are no roads. The only way in is by air or water. They say that the majority of the land area in Fiordland has had no human impact. There are plenty of cruise ships and flightseeing, but no one lands or comes ashore.
I was seriously considering putting Cynthia on the plane and staying here another month. I figured that I could come back with a full beard and 20 less pounds. The problem is, the longer I stay, the harder it is to go home, so I can't risk that one.
Whenever we would stop and talk to people and fill them in on why we were here, they would invariably try to convince us that we were standing in the best place in NZ.
The next night was Christchurch again. On the 28th we made the ferry crossing into Wellington and stopped there for the night. If you want to see pictures of the crossing, go back to my November 18th post and just reverse the order of the photos. The next day we made it as far as Taumarunui and spent the night. Today is Dec. 30th, and our last night in NZ.
Before making this post, I thought I would sort of combine both of our conclusions about our experience. I asked Cynthia to reflect on the last three months. Being the chatterbox that she is, she said "I don't know...it was a good vacation, I'd like to come here again, but I wouldn't want to live here". Fair enough. Unfortunately for you, I am not so succinct.
As I ponder the last three months I have a lot of conflicting emotions. In one way, it seems like we have been here a long time. In another, it was over all too quickly. Sometimes it doesn't feel like we were here at all. As I look out the window here in Auckland, we might as well be in LA. One thing we agree on is that we spent way too much time on the North Island.
The North Island and the South Island are as different as night and day. When you head south across the ferry, you enter a different world. Its a world that suits us. It's more what we are used to. Crossing the island from west to east you go from glaciers and rain forest (average rainfall in Milford Sound, 23 FEET) to barren dry plains (average rainfall on the Otago gold fields, 3"), to ocean. All within a couple hundred miles. The towns are small, and the people are friendly. In the southwest corner of the island is Fiordland. There are no roads. The only way in is by air or water. They say that the majority of the land area in Fiordland has had no human impact. There are plenty of cruise ships and flightseeing, but no one lands or comes ashore.
I was seriously considering putting Cynthia on the plane and staying here another month. I figured that I could come back with a full beard and 20 less pounds. The problem is, the longer I stay, the harder it is to go home, so I can't risk that one.
Whenever we would stop and talk to people and fill them in on why we were here, they would invariably try to convince us that we were standing in the best place in NZ.
Leaving the South Island, for me, was tough. I've poked a lot of fun at the Kiwis in this blog, but that's exactly what it was...fun. I like these people, but they probably don't get my sense of humor. In hindsight, apart from the crowds in QT, there was nothing about the South Island that I didn't like (the weather doesn't count). If I didn't have to try to figure out a way to make a decent living here, staying or going would be a tougher decision. I'm guessing that after a week at Smokey Point, I'll be planning my next visit. A cheaper one next time.
Total trip cost to date: $20,811.42 USD. Not bad. Our budget was $20,000, and this includes breaking my fly rod and having to buy an expensive yuppie Sage (only brand they carried). I had to buy it from Stu Tripney, at his "World Famous Orgasmic Fly Shop". I call him the mad Scotsman. He's worth an entire blog entry all on his own.
We met a couple who routinely do it for $7,000....NZD! Can you say Cup o' Noodles?
Our North Island route:
Total trip cost to date: $20,811.42 USD. Not bad. Our budget was $20,000, and this includes breaking my fly rod and having to buy an expensive yuppie Sage (only brand they carried). I had to buy it from Stu Tripney, at his "World Famous Orgasmic Fly Shop". I call him the mad Scotsman. He's worth an entire blog entry all on his own.
We met a couple who routinely do it for $7,000....NZD! Can you say Cup o' Noodles?
Our North Island route:
Our South Island route:
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