New Zealand 2011 Day 4

Woke up to yet another grey misty morning. Depressing. Decided to have breakfast at the main house instead of having it sent to us, so that we could chat up our hosts. We were really touched by Michael's and Sharon's friendliness and hospitality. We sat at the dining table while Sharon cooked our breakfast. Breakfast in NZ is really satisfying and fulfilling enough to last us till teatime!

Muesli, cornflakes, rice pops, juices and fruit salad

Bacon, egg and cheese - mmmm!

The main house

Waiting for breakfast

After breakfast, we were about to go and pack up when we saw Harry playing football (as in rugby) by himself outside the house. He would sneak a furtive peek at us and then pretend to self-indulge in throwing the ball around, as if hoping that we would go over and play with him. And we took up his shy 'invitation'. I just needed to ask "So you like rugby?" and he started to babble excitedly in an adorable child-like way (he was 4 years old, I think) about football and the rules, and from there the three of us played together. First time playing rugby for me. Within 10 minutes, I was worn out and panting, but he was so zealous that we could not bear to end the game.

After a while, we really had to go pack our luggage so we promised to continue the game after that. Throughout the whole time we were packing, Harry was riding his tricycle at the basketball court and looking over to our cottage, as if to make sure we did not break our promise and sneak away. Such innocence! So despite time constraints (we had to cover 197km by dusk), we just had to sacrifice a little time to play with him. Besides, he was the only child and he must be really lonely (I assume).

We played basketball for a while, and then he decided to take us to look at the farm animals. So together with Michael the four of us put on boots and stepped into the enclosure. There were sheep, cows and one or two wild hares. Learnt from Michael that he reared the animals and earned money from selling them to the slaughterhouses. He pointed to one particular brown and white one and said he would be "sending him away" next week, and I gulped, "You mean it is ready?" and he nodded. I did not know why, but at that point of time, I couldn't bring myself to speak more directly. It was kind of macabre as I looked sadly at the cow and imagined its fate next week.

Plodding into the muddy field with Michael and Harry

The brown and white cow that was 'ready'

Harry was simply so cute

It was noontime and we really had to go (though we hated it). So we bade farewell to our hosts and got on our way (not before dropping off our rented movies). Looking forward to driving!

With our wonderful hosts

They have a outdoor barbeque area at the front

New River Bluegums B&B

Now we knew why Greymouth is thus named

Took Highway 6 southwards and it was a pretty smooth ride. Hardly any traffic and tried to speed like never before. Reached a town named Hokitika and stopped for a break.

At Hokitika

Stopped at this eatery for teatime

Wow, lots of fried goodies!

Seafood basket - fish nuggets, calamari, fried crabsticks, prawns and fries!

Highway 6 passes through lots of green forests ...

... and was quite empty

Once in a while we would just stop by the roadside and get out of the car for some refreshing winter air. Gazing out into the broad fields, towering peaks and flowing creeks, and enjoying the tranquility of the wild outdoors of NZ was the best remedy for our stressed-out urban souls. No words could describe how liberating the feeling was. Was secretly harbouring thoughts of spending old age here.

Stopped at this river bank

Slug looking out for fishes in this shallow stream

Slug was pacing with some wild duck

Would gladly trade in my urban comforts for this wilderness peace

Stopped by Lake Ianthe for a toilet break and some scenic views.

Fooling around at Lake Ianthe

Fish & Game NZ conducts patrols to ensure fishers have the relevant license

Driving towards Franz Josef now

Reached Franz Josef town after maneuvering through a few mountain roads. Was getting increasingly worried as the sky was starting to darken and the mountain roads had no lampposts. Sped up and reached Fox Glacier town at dusk. Arrived at our accommodation, The White Fox B&B, just as we emerged from the mountains, and were welcomed by our hosts, Gary and Jane. They had two lovely daughters, Meghan and Isla, as well as a border collie named Tussock and a cat named Irish.

We were shown our room, which was a bedroom in their house.

Our room with ensuite bathroom - clean, neat and with modern furnishings

Drove out to have dinner at a bar. Fox Glacier is a rather small town - most of the accommodation, eateries and services were along the main road (which is also Highway 6). Most stores were closed by evening, only the bars were still open. Too quiet and lifeless, in our opinion.

Had pizza at this bar

Could not finish this huge pizza so brought it back. Retired early for the night as we would be trekking up Fox Glacier the next day.

New Zealand 2011 Day 3

Booked a half-day blackwater cave rafting trip with Wild West Adventures. Could not believe Michael and his son, Harry, came over to our cottage at around 6+am to wake us up. How did they manage to get up so early! Their knocks on our door and windows were too polite, we just slept on without even knowing that they came. When we woke, we were already late. They were so kind to leave breakfast on the dining table! We quickly gulped the meats and rushed out.

Our little private cottage

Drove to the Wild West Adventures base in Greymouth town. It was a grey morning and it was drizzling. Apparently, the west coast of South Island receives rain most days of the year. Yucks, I can't tolerate such a shitty weather. At the base, we grabbed and put on the necessary gear - thermal wear, socks, helmet and a rubbery overall wetsuit with boots. Slug and I were joined by a Caucasian couple and a guide. After we got everything ready, we boarded a van that took us to a section of Grey River 30 minutes away from town.

Alighted at a field strewn with cow dung and soggy mud, and we trekked our way through the rainforest to the river bank. There, the guide handed us each a tube (like some inflated rubber lifesaver) which we sat on, and pedalled our way down the gentle rapids of the river. The guide taught us the art of river tubing. It had been raining, so the river flow was a little challenging. I was swept away from the rest a few times, but the agile guide would help grab onto me. I surely underestimated this shallow river.

At some point of the river, we got to the entrance of a cave. Apparently caves like this are protected by Taniwhas, underground dragons based on Maori mythology, and in order to be protected against as well as show respect to them, we had to streak our faces with mud. Then all of us started floating on our tubes into the pitch-black cave. As the cave was narrow (and felt really claustrophobic to me), we had to float in a line, by propping our legs on the shoulders of the person in front. Slug was made to lead us and steer our way against the river flow (poor thing!) into the cave, while the guide watched our backs behind.

Halfway the guide told us to stop and we looked up and realised the cave ceiling was lit up with numerous bluish-green dots, like a starry night sky. It was breathtaking. These were the glowworms, the larvae of a type of fly which spend the most of their lives being a larva and glow to attract prey. We spent the next 15 minutes or so admiring the glowworms, snacking on a chocolate bar and sipping on hot chocolate (brought by the guide) in the dank, enclosed darkness.

After that, we floated our way out which was easy as we were now going along with the river flow. Once outside of the cave, we trekked up the river bank and back to the dung-covered field. It was amazing that the wetsuit kept us warm in the water in such a chilly weather. We got back to the base where we took a hot bath, and ended our adventure on a sweet note - with a blueberry muffin and lemonade.

We got back to our accommodation and saw Michael busy mending a stone wall for our cottage. Slug borrowed fishing equipment and got some fishing spot recommendations from Michael, and we spent the afternoon exploring Greymouth and its many creeks.

A cow on the farm

We came to this wide river

Wonder what lies beneath the surface

My efficient and trusty road companion

Exploring Greymouth

Singaporean style? Since when we add those keropok things into our veggies?

No luck with fishing, so we returned at dusk. We bought some foodstuffs for cooking dinner at a nearby supermarket.

Slug looking at Michael's cows

The kitchen was well-equipped with the necessary cooking ware and condiments, and Slug whipped up vegetable soup and stir-fried chicken chunks with onion. While Slug was busy, I was slacking away reading some farming magazine.

Very hardworking Slug

Watched two more movies after dinner. Also browsed through three huge guestbooks that contained lots of thank-yous and well wishes from guests coming from all kinds of countries.

It was extremely cold at night. The air-con unit could hardly toast the whole cottage. The compound and its forested surroundings were very dark, but that made the stars appeared brighter which was really stunning. Wanted to just lounge around at the front porch to star-gaze, but it was simply too cold.

Would be leaving Greymouth for Fox Glacier the next day. Hated to leave this wonderful B&B, and return the unwatched movies!

New Zealand 2011 Day 2

Woke up and realised that the sky would only start to brighten at 8+am. Seems like daytime in NZ is shorter during winter. Had breakfast prepared by our hosts. Breakfast was an elaborate affair with cereals and fruits as starters, eggs and meat as main dish, finished with a beverage. The feeling of being able to sit down and take time to enjoy breakfast was really good.

Slug and I absolutely adored the Victorian feel of this B&B

Their efforts on the dining table were evident - crystal glasses, porcelain cutlery with matching place mats, rolled napkins secured with crystal holders etc

Looking at the garden outside

We chatted with our hosts and Pam remarked that she noticed that Singaporeans like to go around barefooted in the house. We just said it is the norm back home and I refrained from telling her that wearing shoes into the house soils the floor / carpet. There was a guest who was sitting with us, a really young blonde girl from the UK, who, together with Pam, commented that I spoke really fluent English. Methinks they did not know our education system brings us up be bilingual, and when I explained it to them they seemed surprised. Slug and I could not stop gushing about how beautiful the house was, and Pam told us that it was built in 1895, passed down by her grandmother, had undergone restoration and escaped the February earthquake unscathed. The garden would have looked really beautiful with all the flowers and blossoms in spring.

Pam and Denis cooking our breakfast

Starting off our breakfast with muesli and yoghurt

Loved the nice garden view and birds' chirping

Our breakfasts

After breakfast, we bade Denis and Pam farewell, threw our luggage into the car, and sped off to our next destination, Greymouth - a small coastal town on the west side of South Island. It would be a 200+km drive away on Highway 73.

It was another grey sunless morning, as we cruised past forests and wide open fields. Cows and sheep grazing on the pastures was a common sight. Hardly any traffic on the highways as well, which made for easy driving. Hardly any roadkill too, in fact none, as compared to Australia.

Off to Greymouth

Highway 73 would lead us to the mountains

Past grassy fields

Scenic views along the way

A while after Springfield, the road ascended sharply up into the mountains. I was enjoying the challenge - steep terrain, and maneuvering the narrow lanes and hairpin bends. Cannot possibly do this in Singapore. We drove through Arthur's Pass National Park, a forested country park up in the mountains. Once in a while, we would get off the car, stretch our legs and take pictures (but not for long, the strong chilly winds in the highland were too much to bear).

Took a break from driving

Sheep trotting on the grassy slopes

Huge boulders excited the geography enthusiast in me

Grazing sheep

My rented car - a Toyota Corolla hatchback

At Arthur's Pass

We stopped at Lake Pearson to enjoy the scenery and take a toilet break. Slug was feeling the itch to do some fishing (trout and salmon!) at the lake but he did not bring any fishing equipment. We applied for the permit to fish but Slug refused to bring his rod, thinking that he could do some borrowing. Ha.

At Lake Pearson

Signboards on fishing regulations - fish species found, bag limit, type of bait allowed etc

Leaving Lake Pearson

After Arthur's Pass, we took a side road which led us to Lake Brunner. It was another large lake shrouded in fog and eerie silence.

Deviating from Highway 73

Lake Brunner

We stopped to explore a small town called Moana further down the road.

At Moana

A train sending coal to Moana

Back on the road again

We reached Greymouth just as the sky was starting to darken. Our accommodation, New River Bluegums B&B, was quite a distance from the town centre. In fact, it was more of a farmstay, tucked away in a secluded spot along Highway 6. Our hosts there, Michael and Sharon, showed us our 'room', which was actually a little cottage (with living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom) a few metres away from the main house. It was a pleasant surprise to know that we would be having this private cottage all to ourselves! Our hosts were really friendly, who had brownies for us and said we could visit their farm if we liked to.

Living room

Cozy bedroom

Kitchen

I loved these little touches in the bathroom

Drove to the Greymouth town centre for dinner. It was only 6pm and most shops were already closed and the streets nearly empty. Was rather quiet and creepy. Had dinner at a Chinese restaurant run by a Hong Konger. He doubled up as the chef, and chatted with us while preparing the food. Upon knowing that we were from Singapore, he told us that Lee Kuan Yew and family came to dine some years ago. Sounded dubious. Food-wise, we always have high regard for Cantonese cuisine and cha caan teng fare, but the food here failed miserably to meet our gourmet expectations.

At the Chinese restaurant

Unappetizing-looking omelette with rice

Fried fish drizzled in lemon sauce and yucks, cabbage

After dinner, came across one of stores that was still open - a video rental store. Luckily the cottage had a DVD player, so we decided to rent some movies for the night. Went rabid inside the store and could not decide what to watch given that we would be staying in Greymouth only for two nights. Rental was cheap too.

Horror fest tonight!

Drove back to our cottage and was dismayed to find that as we went further and further from the town centre, the number of lampposts got fewer and fewer. I could not get used to driving on such dark roads and using just the headlights. It was also not easy to find the B&B in such darkness and remoteness.

Managed to watch two movies before turning in for the night. Would be going river rafting and caving the next day!