NEWS BRIEFS
Into the Southern Alps
New Zealand has a mountain range that runs the length of the South Island known to the world as the Southern Alps, mostly because they look remarkably similar to the European Alps. This last week, Kara and I traveled south to the small city of Queenstown tucked deeply into this range on the banks of a large lake. The glacier-covered peaks surround the lake, while more heavily glaciated mountains can be found at the heads of the major valleys. The lake radiates a foggy blue quality that is quite fascinating. What is more fascinating, though, is that the lake is actually drinkable. It is 99% pure, which is more clean than most bottled waters. We even had a glass of lake water, proffered by a tour boat skipper who took us around the lake with a large family of Chinese tourists and two confused Europeans of unknown origin.
The town of Queenstown is very much a tourist resort, though fortunately everyone has to work to get there—no cruise ships! In the winter, the town is a ski resort; in the summer, it is a backpackers' convergence. And it was busy. Despite raining for all four days that we were there (it wasn't too bad), every hotel, hostel, bed and breakfast, and lodge was booked full. Fortunately we got in when we did. Our hostel had a beautiful view of the city, the lake, and the nearby mountains, including the one that had a world-famous gondola ride up it. The downside was that parking was limited and we were up a steep hill, which meant unhappy hikes into town.
On Glaciers
The glaciers were amazing, and we got right up close to one of them. On a side trip on our first full day in the town, we traveled north to the Rob Roy Glacier. This glacier sits high above a steep gulch overlooking a narrow river flood plain. All of the waters were such a foggy blue that they could only be glacially-fed. In fact, glaciers capped all the surrounding peaks, but Rob Roy was one of the more accessible ones. We took a two-hour uphill hike through light forests in rain and heavy wind, finally passing above the tree line to find a spectacular view of the hanging glacier. Most of it sits atop the adjacent hill, but a part hangs over the edge and occasionally cleaves, falling into the ravine below (though not when we were there). It was quite a sight. The climb back was slightly shorter but felt longer since there was little to anticipate. The glacial creek that ran beside the trail was very loud, too, and the wind at the end of the trail was not so bad as when we began on it, but was still fierce.
The next day, we traveled north above Queenstown again, but this time following around the lake. The road became dirt and required a few fords, which we traversed, and a one that we decided against attempting. Again, high hanging glaciers sat in nooks and crannies among the surrounding mountains. On the way to this place, we passed through Paradise, our first Hobbit location in New Zealand. Paradise and the nearby Diamond Lake were the setting for Beorn's house in the second film.
Finally, on our journey home, we passed two massive artificial lakes that power most of the South Island via hydroelectric dams. These lakes, too, were glacial in origins and Mount Cook, the tallest point in the country, could be seen at the head of one of them, shrouded slightly in clouds. We last saw Mount Cook from the West Coast at Fox Glacier. With so many glaciers around, it is amazing to think how many more there once were. Photos of Rob Roy, Fox, and other glaciers that we have seen, taken in the 1800s, show much larger and more impressive bodies of ice than are visible today. A generally warming climate and the hole in the ozone layer above New Zealand have rapidly shrunk these ice age remnants to little more than snowballs.
The Other Southern City
On the drive down to Queenstown, we spent two nights at Dunedin (do-NEE-din), an old Scottish settlement that became famous as a gold rush settler drop-off point in the 1860s. The town is famous mostly for its heavily-photographed train station, which looks nice but is totally going to fall to bits whenever the city experiences its long-overdue mega-earthquake. The town sits at the end of a very long and deep bay which formed inside the mouth of an extinct volcano, much like Christchurch's Lyttleton harbour and nearby Akaroa. The high ridges along the side of the bay are beautiful, with trees, pastures, and crags. The beaches on the east side of Otago Peninsula are famous for their remoteness and their status as penguin breeding grounds, although only a few actually play host to penguins. At the end of the peninsula, albatross and seagulls also breed and raise their young. One such seagull, apparently quite happy with its newfound ability to fly, even graced me with some sample guano on my hair. So kind of it.
On the first evening we were there, we visited one of the remote beaches, located at the end of a long dirt road. A few fur seals were hanging out on the sands, but otherwise it was pretty quiet. A heavy mist didn't keep us there for long. The next day, the peninsula was so fogged-in that we couldn't see much of the beautiful scenery. Foolishly, we drove the top of the ridge and found ourselves with about 50 metres visibility. Not a fun ride, to be sure. The last day, when we left, it was perfectly clear and we finally got our wonderful views. We stayed on the peninsula at an AirB&B (i.e., private house) and traveled to the city during the day. We visited two wonderful museums, went on a tour of the New Zealand Cadbury factory, and contemplated climbing the steepest hill in the world—Baldwin Street, for the record, and no, we didn't climb it. Overall, we probably won't go back to Dunedin, but it seemed to be a nice city, if only the weather were nicer.
The Great New Zealand Gold Rush
It seems ever decent-sized newly-founded land gets its gold rush, and New Zealand had three of them. The most famous was the Otago Gold Rush, which lasted from 1861 to 1864. A few local farmers found the gold and tried to keep it a secret, but that didn't last long. 18,000 people came from all over the world to New Zealand, swelling the population of the South Island. Many of their descendant still live there today. Arrowtown, located about 20 minutes from Queenstown, was one of the biggest mining centers and still retains this lovely charm much like parts of Sonora, California, today. Many of the town's old buildings are still standing, used as commercial storefronts or private residences. The old bank has been turned into a relatively large and very impressive local history museum. The majority of the local mining was on the Arrow River at Macetown, up a steep gorge from Arrowtown. The town no longer exists except for a few preserved structures. It is inaccessible except to 4WD vehicles and hikers. At the start of this trek, one also encounters the site used in The Lord of the Rings where Arwen halts and drowns the ringwraiths. Nearby, the spot where King Isildur is jumped by a band of orcs and loses the One Ring was also filmed. Fun times! Seriously, there is Hobbit and LotR stuff everywhere in New Zealand if one knows where to look.
Driving & Distances
Let me tell you one thing after having read all this, distances are deceptive and never trust Google. Google says it takes 5 hours and 45 minutes to get to Disneyland from my parent's house. It doesn't ever take that little amount of time, not even if driving at midnight. There are always stops, traffic jams, signals, and just about anything else to stop you. That being said, New Zealand is just as bad. Most roads are two-lane but they are treated like freeways...except when they aren't. And they aren't quite suddenly. Twisting roads, narrow curves, occasional one-lane bridges, bicyclists, slow-moving vehicles, traffic stops and signals, and trains are all just some of the obstacles to make Google Maps impossibly inaccurate. Christchurch to Dunedin: estimated at 4:30 hours, actually took around 6:00. Dunedin to Queenstown: 3:30, actually took 5:00. Queenstown to Christchurch: 6:00, actually took around 7:30. Distance estimates are so terrible we no longer can rely on them after this trip.
Another thing, with all these obstacles and such, everyone still drives at just about 100k/hr (62.5mph). That is in all the conditions listed above. And, perhaps more freighteningly, trucks drive that fast too. In California, trucks can drive a max legal speed of 55mph; here, it is almost 10 miles faster than that on undivided, two-lane roads. It's terrifying! I already don't like driving, especially on the left side of the road, but after this trip I like the idea even less. Toss in steep hills, heavy rain, and wind, and it's just a recipe for disaster. Kara doesn't mind driving, but doesn't want to do it full-time, so buses and airplane flights may be in store for us in the future. We'll see. In any case, be warned if you visit us here that driving may not be the most enjoyable experience in New Zealand.
DISCLAIMER
The Khagan Weekly is the unofficial news outlet for an American living in Christchurch, New Zealand. Anything he says can and may be used against him. His statements should be taken as factual, except when they are not. All rights reserved, except where prohibited...like in Russia. They prohibit everything there. Psh. Punks. Let's start a punt Putin day. That'd be fun.
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