DAY FOUR

Today I woke up and headed straight to the bus. My goal was to get to Lake Tekapo, 4 hours away. The drive was simply beautiful (how many times have I said that word on this blog!? Ha, I can’t help myself!) I kept looking from side to side to try and absorb everything around me. Rolling green hills, mountains, sheep, cows… typical NZ landscapes that never get old!!!

Eventually I made it and headed straight to the YHA hostel, which by the way is AWESOME. If you come to Lake Tekapo, I highly recommend staying here! The common room is very cozy and it feels like im home with a family. I mean, in a way, hostels ARE a family… a family of travelers all sharing one common desire: to see new things and meet new people. In this common room there are comfy couches, beanbags, a fireplace, board games, magazines, a piano, stars on the ceiling, posters, a pet cat…. Very homey indeed. Oh, and check out the view from the common room:

chillin with the local cat:

I enjoyed meeting everyone here and staying warm near the fire, but as soon as the rain stopped, I dashed out the door to experience this place!

Someone told me of a pretty one hour hike up Mount John, so I headed that way. Well, apparently I took a long route because after 2.5 hours I still wasn’t at the summit! Ha! But like yesterday, I just kept walking.

I kept wanting to turn back but something kept pushing me farther. I kept seeing a point higher up and telling myself, “Oh I bet the view is even BETTER up there! I’ll just go there and then leave.” Well, I think I said that to myself about 6 times!!! I couldn’t stop hiking up. The funny thing is, I actually hate hiking. Just ask any of my climbing mates…. But for some reason, when I’m alone and in New Zealand, I feel like another force is with me, helping me up the steep mountain. In fact, it is really enjoyable. I also like being able to pick my own pace.

After a while I kept hearing sheep baaing… but didn’t see any sheep. A few minutes later I looked to my left and there were hundreds of sheep, scattered around the mountain. Man, I love animals!

When I got near the top, there was a road up the mountain so I hiked to it… because someone told me that this walk was supposed to be an hour, so I wanted to make sure I was going the right way. A car of friendly old kiwis came down the mountain and offered me a ride. They brought me up to the very top, which was definitely not what I expected. It was a 360 view of mountains and lakes. Completely surrounding you. I kept spinning around, jaw open, admiring the view. In fact, it is so magnificent that I almost don’t want to post pictures, because it doesn’t do it justice… at ALL. Just imagine these pictures enhanced by 100.

Not to mention, the very top of the mountain is home to Mt John University Observatory, where they study astronomy. Apparently it is the best place in NZ to see the stars, and they even offer Earth and Sky tours.

Hiking to the summit of Mt. John was simply stunning. This is a must-do if you are staying in Lake Tekapo.

Today was another great day in NZ and I’m looking forward to tomorrow: Queenstown!

DAY TWO - CASTLE HILL

Bright blue skies, strong cool winds, cows mooing, sheep baaing, fields of daisies, and rolling green hills, home to a playground of boulders. Where was I?! Castle Hill, one of my dream destinations.

I’ve wanted to go to Castle Hill ever since I saw a picture of it in a climbing magazine 6 years ago. Today my dream became reality.

Today I woke up with Castle Hill on my mind. I got a ride to Christchurch city bus exchange and took bus number 84 to the start of highway 73, which was the road to West coast. I put my thumb out and within 5 minutes I got a ride.*

We drove through beautiful plains and jaw-dropping rolling hills and mountains. About an hour later, I looked to my left to see the endless hills of limestone boulders, and with extreme excitement, I shouted “OH MY GOD, THERE IT IS!”

So then it began… my first full day in New Zealand. I felt so free. I talked to cows, hiked around, scrambled up some rocks, laughed & cried as a result of the sheer beauty of the place! Overall, I had an amazing day.

I spent much of my day talking to these cows.

a face in the rock

I joined 3 cool Canadians who were also climbing around. We ran around the area, trying to find the boulders that looked the most featured. You see, castle hill is full of boulders but it is quite difficult to find one that has enough features to climb. Most are either smoothed over or have one or two pockets followed by a completely blank wall. We tried to climb many boulders where we’d get a few inches off the ground and get totally shut down. It was truly quite humbling, really… the rocks will always win. When I actually did climb a boulder there, it felt like I had truly connected with the rock, as there really is only one way up the climbs there… as there are just enough holds to be climbable. I had a blast.

When they left, I continued cruising around the boulders, often taking a few steps back and reminding myself that I was at my dream destination, truly making it happen.

Castle Hill was an absolutely gorgeous place and there was a mystical energy to the area… it was quite magical. I felt as though the rocks contained an ancient wisdom and I could almost feel their intelligence. There was one point of the day where I could see the energy of everything including the rocks, mountains, plants, and clouds. I literally saw everything swirling with energy, including their auras, almost as if I was on hallucinogenic drugs. Everything was glowing. It was at this point that I truly felt ALIVE in this beautiful world. Chills. Overwhelming beauty!!!

My dream came true, and lived up to all expectations. It’s only day one and I truly feel connected to this place…. How will I ever go back!?

*Yep, you guessed it: hitchhiking. Hitchhiking is a common way to travel here and NZ is known to be quite safe as it’s filled with friendly kiwis. Before you totally dismiss this idea or freak out and worry about me, think again. Hitchhiking can be a very savvy way to travel and a great way to meet people. But… that doesn’t mean you can hop in a car with anyone. Even a country as safe as New Zealand still has some crime (?) and crazy people. Here are some tips to follow:

-stand next to motorway, in an area where a car could pull over easily (at a slow speed limit)

-make sure the car can see you from far away, so they they can get a good look at you… and have enough time to pull over.

-look clean and tidy – nobody wants to pick up a scruffy dirtbag (even though I personally like that look, haha)

-ask where the driver is going before you get in the car. That way you know if they are really going where you need to go.

-Follow your instincts. If your instincts tell you no, then DON’T GET IN!!! Tell them that you’re not going that way or that you’ll catch the next ride.

-SMILE! Even if you’ve been waiting for a while, nobody wants to pick up a miserable bloke. Look bright and happy. =)

and… if you’re traveling in NZ and don’t feel completely safe, you can send a text to 7233 (SAFE), which is a service that records your message, phone number, and time of text, and if there is an emergency it will send the info to the police. Simply send a detailed description of where you are, where you’re going, who you’re with, the car, and so on… AND in an emergency, dial 111.