I’ve been up to a lot since my last post.
I hitchhiked around S.I. (South Island). From Queenstown to Dunedin, Dunedin to Christchurch, Chch to Kaikoura and Kaikoura to Picton. Or that was the plan. Everything mostly went according to plan.
I got 10 different rides. Only one was from a woman. She said it was the first time she’d picked up a hitchhiker, but since I was alone and a girl she thought I can’t be too dangerous. And she had a little white dog to protect her. The only other woman I shared a car with was a French girl, who was travelling with her boyfriend. About half of my rides were from fellow tourists. None were from maori. Only one ride was unpleasant, the one from the Frenchies, and that was because they smoked in the van.
I was heading for Picton, because that was where I had to meet up with other volunteers for DOC (Department of Conservation, not Conversation). Two years ago DOC acquired a large piece of farm land on d'Urville Island. The piece is now being converted to a nature reserve, and we were to help with the conversion.
However, my last ride to Picton didn't happen. From Kaikoura, I got a ride from a Kiwi, who offered me a bed in Blenheim and a 26 km ride to Picton in the morning. I accepted.
The volunteer week was more like two days. It took us all of Monday to devise a shopping list, do the shopping, load up with tools, turn back to get the project leader's rifle, drive to French pass, cross the choppy strait and drive across half the island. Then on Tuesday morning we were free to explore the surroundings while the truck was away - getting the mail for the two volunteers who live at the old farm stead full-time. In the afternoon and all of Wednesday we spent constructing wind breakers for the camp site. We used deer gates, green shade cloth and old deer fence. On Thursday we explored, it was the best day. The DOC project leader went deer hunting three times, but we didn't get any venison. He did see two deer though, but couldn't get close enough to shoot. On Friday we had to face the long drive back to Picton...
Now I’m back in Blenheim, the place with the most sunshine hours in New Zealand (it’s pouring down), job hunting. To say that it’s looking a bit thin is an understatement.
My host took me to see his granddaughters. They are 5 and 7, adorable, and so tiring. They absolutely adore pink. The older one wants to be a singer or a dancer or a fashion designer or a model. One evening she wanted to play fashion show for hours. She knew how to look sexy much better than I could. She’d glance at me from under her eyelashes and pout and play with her hair and stick her hips out. Dreadful. Then she gave me a small statue of Tinkerbell that she’d painted herself and a little note saying “Keep it”. I was speechless.
I’ve been passing my mornings at the Riding for the Disabled. It’s very interesting, and I get to be with horses. No, they don’t have a job for me, they rely on volunteers.
I’ve been all over the place: supermarkets, shops, hostels, even the theatre. No luck. If I don’t find something soon, I will move on.
Yes, that's what this was called. I thought it was far from impossible though. It mostly demanded patience. An impossible jigsaw would be one with a single colour and crap pieces that don't stay together.
I was rather sad when it was done. I made quite a few friends over the four days that it took, and met one from the past! :)
The aquataxi did a little detour so that we could admire the Split Apple Rock. Nobody knows, why it split.
Here's the proof. This was actually at the end of the track. By this time both our feet ached and we were gibberish from tiredness. We had some good giggles! ;)
A couple of bridges there. Nice!
And the middle aged couple who walked past did not see the fun in this picture. Grinch. We had fun :)
[Notice the colour coding - completely unintentional!]
On this section of the track I was half expecting Treebeard to stride through the trees. Or the trees to start talking about the consistency of squirrel droppings. And then I thought maybe Rรถlli would come skipping along the track. My favourite part. The guide at the hut that night told us that this is a 'cloud forest'; that's why the moss grows so well. It can take moisture straight from the air.
Then we went to Milford Sound. It rained. It was brilliant. The boat sailed straight into a white mist. The cliffs of the fiord were alive with waterfalls. For most of the time I stood outside with an Englishman I'd met on the bus (oh, did I tell you that I also travelled for a while with a German guy I met on a bus? :D), admiring the wetness. My camera still works, well done Canon!