Happy New Year! I hope 2010 finds everyone in good spirits. That is certainly the case here in New Zealand where the summer has just begun and so many fun and exciting things have happened already. (You might have guessed as much as it has been a while since my last post—many apologies).
At the end of November my sister, Jan, came to visit for two weeks. Jan works as a naturalist guide in Denali National Park and had heard many grand stories about New Zealand from her clients. After tramping 120km, eating 21 avocadoes, and spotting 51 different species of birds, just to put a few statistics onto our escapades, I think Jan will have some to tell now as well. We started with a few warm-up tramps around the Waitakere Range before heading to Tongariro National Park and completing the Northern Circuit in a blistering 26 hours (normally a 3-4 day tramp according to the Department of Conservation). The landscapes in this volcanic region were quite fabulous, though the weather stole some of the more magnificent views from us during the alpine section, which was socked in with clouds and pounding winds. On this section of the track, Jan and I must have passed at least 200 day-trippers headed in the opposite direction, far more than either of us can ever recall seeing on any section of trail. Upon completion of the circuit, we decided that a visit to some local hot pools were in due order, so we headed up to Waiotapu. Utilizing my handy guide to the Hot Pools of New Zealand we tested four different thermal areas including two creeks, one lake, and a hot waterfall—yes, a waterfall, ie a natural Jacuzzi. Next on the itinerary was visiting Jan’s good friend Kari, who now works at a kids YMCA outdoor camp on the Bank’s Peninsula on the South Island. Kari was kind enough to lend us her car, so I got to relearn how to drive manual, and we headed off to the Routeburn Track, which kiwis claim is one of the finest walks in the world. And hey, after tramping it, I’m not putting up any argument. The alpine panoramas were quite spectacular and I especially enjoyed swimming in Lake McKenzie, which is quite possibly the most beautifully located campsite in NZ, and the birthday cake that Jan surprised me with. Rather than taking the normal “easy way out” via the Te Anu Road, we tramped back over the mountains via the Caples Track, which when compared to a “Great Walk” such as the Routeburn, seemed to be in rough shape. Yet, the Caples passed though its own magnificent rainforest, particularly in the upper reaches, where absolutely everything was covered in moss, strikingly reminiscent of Middle Earth.
Early December was spent working diligently on my thesis. I spent many days digitizing Auckland’s neighborhood boundaries to use as Traffic Analysis Zones and populating a geodatabase with all possible neighborhood exits, which could be used in case of an evacuation scenario. This enabled me to produce maps of relative evacuation difficulty as determined by population to exit capacity ratios and will come in handy for studies I hope to do in the future. I managed a bit of time on the water too, hucking my pack-raft off the 8m Tutea Falls on the Kaituna River (class IV) and practicing a bit of kayaking as well. I then traveled to Taihape, where I worked a week at Bliss-Stick, the only kayak manufacturer in NZ. While most of my time was spent cutting, grinding, and gluing plastic, I was able to manage a trip down the nearby Rangitiki River (class IV-V) with a
local guide in a two person “Duckie.” Due to my work, the kayak only cost a scant NZ$500 and I got to customize it with a big dipper on the front and map of Alaska of the bottom. The following weekend, I tested the worthiness of my new craft on the class III whitewater of the Wairoa River, where it preformed wonderfully.
On December 23rd, my mom arrived to spend her Christmas vacation time with me here in New Zealand. The first thing we did after checking out Auckland and showing her off my new flat (with its incredible view on Okahu Bay), was head north to check out the giant Kauri Forest of Northland. Kauris, which reach 23m in circumference and grow straight up for 15-20m before producing their first branches, are mighty impressive. Due to heavy logging at the turn of the century, there are few of these slow-growing trees left and all are now protected. Next we drove south over Napier, where we checked out the Art Deco architecture, took the ferry across the Cook Straight, and spent some time in Nelson. While mom perused the city and its numerous shopping opportunities, I went to kayak school in Murchison and learned the fundamentals of self-rescues, barrel rolling your buddy, and how to clean up a “garage sale” when everything goes awry on the river. Mom and I then drove up to Motueka, the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park and enjoyed a fine day on the beach. We celebrated New Years in Christchurch exploring it neo-gothic architecture and visiting the numerous museums. Mom particularly enjoyed the great Thai food and extensive botanic gardens of Christchurch.
Now I am on my way out to the West Coast to meet up with the University of Auckland Canoe Club and to explore the whitewater of this incredibly wet region. It is raining now and the rivers are rising… great conditions for paddling. Till next time a splash in your direction.
