Caleb Benches Kiara

Hi Grandma Barb-
Click on the video on the left hand side of the blog. Kiara thought you might enjoy it...

Easter on the West Coast

Hi Everyone!

This post will be a work in progress for the next few days as I get more photos uploaded (it takes a while) and think of more things to write about. Kiara and I decided to make one long post for our vacation, rather than breaking each activity into a different post. Pictures for each will be included.

Travel Plans
We had a pretty busy break travel-wise. Our itinerary was as follows;

Thursday Night; Bus Dunedin to Christchurch
Friday Morning ; Bus Christchurch to Greymouth via Arthur's Pass in the Southern Alps
Friday Afternoon; Bus Greymouth to Punakaiki along one of the Top 10 World's Best Scenic Ocean Drives
-We then spent three nights in Punakaiki exploring all the area had to offer.
Monday Early Afternoon; Bus from Punakaiki to Greymouth
Monday Afternoon/Evening; TranzAlpine Train Greymouth to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass (Under it this time...more on that a little later...)
Tuesday Morning; Bus Christchurch to Dunedin

Whew...I can't imagine how tired Kiara must have been after 5 weeks of travel like that in Europe!

Punakaiki-Camping and Beach combing at the "Holiday Park"
After getting of the bus in Punakaiki, Kiara and I found a great campground where we could put up our tent. We would have liked to find a frontage road next to the beach and camped there, but there are some pretty hefty fines associated with "freedom camping" in parts of New Zealand, and judging by the "No Camping or Overnight Stopping" signs situated around the beach, we thought it best not to take our chances. The holiday park we stayed at was located right on the beach, making it easy for us to check out the sunset, take a walk, or (Kiara would say most importantly) collect rocks, shells, and driftwood. I especially enjoyed the beautiful scenery as we were surrounded by forested mountains and sandstone cliffs and formations wherever you looked. (More pictures are coming for this one so keep checking!)

Punakaiki Caverns
Kiara and I noticed the sign pointing out the caverns on our way to the campground, and figured that they wouldn't go back very far, as it was a free attraction maintained by the Department of Conservation...no large price tag, guides, wetsuits, or helmets and headlamps like our previous cave experiance. While the caverns weren't as large (or as wet) as the cave Kiara and I went to as part of our orientation, they were surprisingly large, and contained a few side caves we were able to explore. Fortunately, I had brought a flashlight (Yes, thats where it went Dad...I promise I will bring it back...) or we wouldn't have gotten very far back as it got dark FAST. At one point, Kiara was able to check out an upper level of the cave, complete with glow worms, only after I "threw" her up a wall we were not able to climb for lack or hand and footholds. The sign outside the cave said that there were numerous fossils to be found in the walls, but because we only had one flashlight we weren't able to see any. However, there were some cool formations, small streams, and miniature waterfalls leaking from the roof of the cave that we were able to see great with the light we had.

Dolomite Point-Pancake rocks and blow holes
Dolomite point is the main attraction in this area, though most visitors are just passing through on there way to or from larger cities farther north. Dolomite point has been featured in a few movies, and after seeing the scenery for ourselves, it was easy to understand why. The larger than life flax plants and the amazing rock formations seemed as though they were transplanted out of "Jurassic Park" . We actually visited Dolomite Point on three different occasions to try to catch the blow holes and surge pool at their peak.

Tramping

Kiara and I also had the opportunity to hike along the Inland Pack Track, a series of river valley trails that began only a short distance from our campground. The day began quite damp, but the clouds and mist in the mountains made for some great scenery. The inland Pack Track is meant to be completed as a 2-3 day overnight hike, though there are trails connecting back to civilization that allow the entire track to be completed as three day or half day trips. Kiara and I started with the Pororari River Track, which took us about an hour and a half, before we were thwarted by a river crossing which was a little flooded due to the rain we had had the night before. (Little did we know that another river crossing was waiting for us later...we would not escape with dry feet!) From there, we backtracked to the Punakaiki River Track connection, which we had noticed on the way to the river crossing. From there we walked up...and up...and up the small mountains/large hills (one is visible in the background of the picture with our tent in it) dotted throughout the area. We really didn't know where we were or where we would end up at the conclusion of the tramp as we were beginning to doubt the "Punakaiki Village via Punakaiki River Track" sign marking the beginning of trail we were on...but we really didn't care as the day had cleared up and the scenery was fantastic. Eventually, we did make it back to the main road (after a river crossing...Kiara thought the water was "cold", Caleb thought it was "refreshing") and had a short (~2km) walk back the the campground once we made it to the main road. At this point, the sun was out, the sky was cloudless, and we were both HOT, and ready for a walk on the beach with our feet in the water to cool down.

Southern Alps (Sorry it has taken me so long to get this posted!)
Running down the middle of the South Island of New Zealand is the mountain range known as the Southern Alps. Most notably, the Southern Alps contain Mt. Cook, the tallest point in New Zealand, and the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. Though we were not far enough south to see either of the Southern Alps' highlights, we were treated to some spectacular scenery as we passed through Arthur's Pass, one of the three main passes through the mountains.

From Christchurch to Greymouth, we decided to save some money by taking the bus, figuring that the scenery on the train would be the same each way. In hindsight, the bus was a good idea even without the finacial incentive. While Arthur's Pass is a "low" area between mountain peaks, "low" is a relative term when in the Southern Alps. By the time we had reached the pass, the road, other cars, and the scenery were all obscured by clouds! Unfortunatly, this made for lousy pictures, but the experiance was memorable in and of itself. The bus ride was somewhat like a (slightly) slow rollercoaster. Along the way there were numerous hairpin turns (on the side of a mountain), steep climbs that must have frustrated the drivers behind us, and long descents that must ruin the brakes within a few trips.

A side note-Kiara and I were both very tired from the night before as we didn't get to the campground until after 11:30, after which we had to set up the tent, snag a few hours of sleep, and then walk 6 km at 5:30 in the morning to the bus stop. When I tried to wake Kiara up as the bus started to climb into the mountains (she had fallen asleep on the bus), I received what I believe is called "The Eye" before she fell back asleep! Luckily, she woke up shortly later on her own so she did not miss too much.

The train ride back from Greymouth, though it passed many of the same areas, was much different. Elevation change was nearly nonexistent as the train took a much more circuitous route, winding its way though the mountain valleys. Though the train also took Arthur's Pass to cross the central mountains, the track ran underneath the mountains for nearly 15 min. instead of climbing into the clouds. Apart from the long tunnel, as the air would be too sooty to breath, Kiara and I spent the duration of the four hour trip on the viewing platform admiring the scenery flying by. We hope you enjoy the sampling of pictures!




Take care.

CEL

Back From Easter Vacation

Hi Everyone,

Kiara and I just got back this afternoon from our extended weekend on the West Coast. We had a great time tramping in the forest, going to the various attractions near our campground, and hanging out on the beach. (Kiara brought back a 2 liter ice cream container full of rocks and shells!)

Unfortunately, we both still have school, and I won't be able to post regarding our various activities (including lots of cool pictures) until my genetics lab report is done. :(

We will update as soon as we can!

Caleb

Tunnel Beach

This last Friday, Kiara and I took the city bus out of Dunedin to a small suburb called Concord. From there, we took a hike towards the ocean, following the directions our very helpful bus driver had given us. After a nice hike up a rather steep road through farm land (full of sheep), we were treated to a great view of the ocean. Eventually, we made it to Tunnel Beach Road and the Tunnel Beach Walk through (you guessed it) more farmland full of sheep.

Tunnel Beach was made accessible in the mid-1800's by one of the Cargill sons (The senior Cargill was one of the founders of Dunedin) as a birthday present for his daughter. In order to do this, a tunnel had to be hand hewn out of the sandstone cliffs that surrounded the beach on their property. I'm sure that his daughter was thrilled...until she tragically drowned at the beach some time later.

Despite the slightly morbid history surrounding the location, Tunnel Beach made for a great day trip. The scenery was fantastic (check out the pictures) the day was perfect (again, the pictures) and we had the beach to ourselves for nearly the entire time we were there! Because we were there before the tide was completely out, parts of the beach were inaccessible which was somewhat disappointing...until we realized, as we passed six people on their way down to the beach as we were leaving, that if we had been there for low tide we would not have had the place to ourselves. We had only seen three other people the entire day, who, coincidentally, were from Minneapolis!

Caleb and Kiara

We did a bit more site seeing, walking along back roads while trying to find Cargill Castle (which we weren't able to get a good look at because of a fancy new residential district that has sprung up around it. We made a total of over six miles for the day and hopped on a bus home to relax.

I'd just like to add that neither of us got sunburnt (despite the hole in the ozone and the gorgeous, cloudless day), due to repeated sunscreen application!

Kiara

Pictures from our place...

Our New Zealand home is a flat (a house shared with five other people) in room with a total area of 11 square meters. Within our room we have a full size fridge/freezer combo, a dresser, a wardrobe, a small table and a double bed. The door to our room opens into the kitchen, but we also have one large window and French doors that open out onto the backyard patio. The window and French doors have thick heavy-duty, burnt orange curtains which aren't the most attractive to look at, but as there is no central heating New Zealand they are very nice for insulation at night when it can get a bit chilly.

Otago Museum

Listed as one of the top ten things to do in New Zealand, the Otago Museum was a great rainy afternoon activity this past weekend. The museum, while not very large, is packed full of every type of exhibit you could imagine. Especially interesting was the second floor, which was dedicated to the various Pacific cultures and their migration, which eventually brought the Maori to New Zealand. The top floor was also interesting as it was dedicated to the South Island of New Zealand. Everything from the geological formation of the island, to its mass extinctions, wildlife, human discovery and rediscovery, and industrialization were covered.

Back to the Maori exhibit- One item of note that I found particularly interesting was the description of the environmental practices of the Maori. While many people and groups would like believe that all indigenous peoples were/are model caretakers of Mother Earth, parts of this exhibit painted an entirely different picture. For example, Maori settlement of New Zealand led to the extinction of numerous birds they used as food sources. Introduced animals, such as the dog, contributed to these extinctions as many of the birds had become flightless in adaptation to the predator free land. Additionally, the farming practices of the Maori led to erosion and soil depletion as slash and burn techniques were employed to clear farmland. Finally, introduced plant species acted as invasive species and crowded out some of the indigenous plants.

I wonder if the Maori were the only indigenous culture that were not model citizens of Mother Earth.....

Botanical Gardens

The Sunday before school started, (2 weeks ago, I realize that I am a little late in posting this) Kiara and I visited Dunedin's famous botanical gardens. It was an absolutely beautiful day, perfect for a long walk through the semi-famous park. According to their website, the botanical garden "Features 25 organized plant collections, herbaceous borders, formal gardens, and a rock garden, along with many specimen trees." Kiara and I did not visit all of the collections (Because the park is enormous!), but we did get to see the Rhododendron Dell, the herb garden, the rose garden, the South African collection, and the "jungle" greenhouse.

Check out the pictures!

Dunedin Forecast Link

Hi Everyone,

Check out the new link in the upper left hand corner of the blog. You will be able redirected to a local weather page. I must add however, that the meteorologists here in Dunedin seem like they must have flunked out of the classes our meteorologists back home got Cs in...

That said, the daily forecast is usually accurate...but it is raining right now, and that wasn't supposed to happen.

Take care.

CEL

Pavlova!!

Kiara and I decided to attempt to make the signature New Zealand desert tonight. Named after a famous dancer, Pavlova was "invented" in the 30's in Australia, though Kiwi's claim it was first made in New Zealand. The recipe, as you can see, is very simple:

4 egg whites
1 c caster sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp cornflour

Beat eggs until soft peak; add sugar, lemon juice, and cornflour. Beat until stiff and glossy. Pile onto a baking tray covered with baking paper. Shape into a circle, leaving the center slightly lower. (To pile fresh fruit in) Bake for about 90 min. in a 120 Celsius oven. Pile fruit and whipped cream on top.
The result should look something like the photo at the top.


One slight problem...we didn't have a wire whisk, and we certainly didn't have an electric mixer. The preparation time for this recipe should be between 15-20 min. Try an hour and forty minutes!!! By the time we were done attacking the egg whites with a small fork, both Kiara and I decided that I we were to make Pavlova again, we were going to splurge and buy ourselves a wire whisk.

Hopefully though, the result will be just as tasty as it would have been with a whisk. We will let you all know later...its still in the oven.