Abel Tasman

On Tuesday, after a quick stop at Golden Salami (salami in a vending machine!) and mountainous road curves extreme enough to make an Uruk Hai car sick, we arrived on the north side of Abel Tasman National Park. We'd had a late start, so the beautiful views of the sunset over the water soon disappeared as we continued hiking (or "tramping" as it's called here) in the dark for the last twenty minutes.




Our accommodation was in a former homestead in the park, and with this being the off-season and the general lack of people everywhere in New Zealand, we figured we would probably be alone. As it turned out there was an entire global village sharing the cabin with us, and we had an enjoyable night talking European history and learning an Israeli card game with the other travelers. Although I saw it as a spacious cabin, it was properly known as a "hut," and the New Zealand government has created a wonderful system of huts all across the country to make tramping more convenient, at a very low cost per night. Most huts are apparently smaller and more primitive, but we even had a toilet with plumbing (but not in working order).

a weka, a flightless New Zealand bird

fan tails, lively little birds that have been following us on most of the trails

the building in the center of the photo is our hut

On Wednesday we did a loop trail in the park and returned to the same hut. The weather was gorgeous. Throughout the trip we've been so impressed with not just the amazing scenery, but how easy it is to enjoy it in the complete absence of any other people, and Wednesday was probably the best day yet. Even the seals were relaxed.












This morning we had a rainy hike out of the park, and have had an indoor day in our guesthouse. It actually belongs to a couple that are friends of Lynn and Jay, and the very attractive main home has been around since 1870, almost the oldest in the region. They grow and sell feijoas, a tasty green fruit we've really warmed up to on this trip. As with most of the trip I have very little idea of what we are doing tomorrow, but I'm not too worried about it. I love being on vacation.

Nelson pt. II

Last Monday was our first rainy day, so we took the chance to see Nelson's art gallery and museum, and better explore downtown (all 4 or 5 blocks of it). There is hardly any traffic here, but we have to keep our wits about us when we cross the road. In Seattle, you are likely to get stuck behind 2 drivers who are both trying to yield to the other, and cars stop in the middle of the street if they even suspect that I want to cross. Although New Zealanders are extraordinarily polite, when behind the wheel they get a strong urge to run over any pedestrians in their path. We're also still getting used to the cars being on the left hand side of the road.

Nelson pt. I

Our arrival in New Zealand was delayed. We were supposed to land in Auckland and get a connecting flight to Nelson, but apparently the wind was too strong and we were diverted to Christchurch. Airport staff in New Zealand are so good-natured that we couldn't get too upset about it, even when our luggage went on to Auckland without us. But Lynn and Jay, Nissa's aunt and uncle who are hosting our stay in New Zealand, found us in the Nelson airport at the right time and we headed straight to the beach. Nelson is on the coast of the south island, and the surroundings are beautiful.

oyster catchers

On our way home to have dinner, we decided to get some beer from the local brewery. In New Zealand there is a wonderful practice of getting "riggers" when you want beer to go. Bring your own container, and the bartender will fill it up with beer on tap, for much cheaper.


On our second morning we went to the local market and met some of Lynn and Jay's friends. Here is Jay in front of the stand where he has been selling sun hats from Oregon.

We also visited the shop that created the One Ring for The Lord of the Rings movies, and had a helpful jewelry lesson from one of the Danish brothers that now runs the shop. They do wedding rings...


These last few photos are from a walk we took up a hill that was a short walk from the house we are staying at.




We ended the night with an outdoor film festival, which was held in a large church. The short films ranged from extreme kayaking in Africa to ice climbing to an absolutely heart-stopping video about the world's best solo free climber, who can climb rock walls thousands of feet high without any equipment. It was a good introduction to New Zealand - people here are really into the outdoors, and the place was absolutely packed for the film festival. We had to arrive early to get a seat, and it seemed half the town had turned out. And I have to admit, for lovers of the outdoors, I've seen few if any better places to live.

Introduction

This blog is being started in Nelson, New Zealand, on the first day of a 10-week journey that will take us through parts of Southeast Asia and northern India before bringing us back to the United States and our home of Seattle. The idea for this trip started when my fiancee Nissa and I began making serious plans for graduate school, which will begin this fall. We love to travel and see this as our last chance for a while, so we are taking the opportunity to see a few places that we have really wanted to see for one reason or another. This is our basic itinerary:

New Zealand: 15 days (May 21st-June 5th)
Bali, Indonesia: 8 days (June 5th-June 13th)
Singapore: 3 days (June 13th-June 16th)
Malaysia: 10 days (June 16th-June 26th)
India: 29 days (June 26th-July 26th)

We hope to find time to write and post pictures here as we travel.

-Dan