Road Trip Part 1

La blog



So there are a few blogs in progress but having spent four days on holiday with just myself and Dan the blogability is too great to abide chronology so here goes....

I finished work on Friday and Dan and I left for Franz Josef to get a couple of hours driving under our belt.  We had booked into a YHA hostel and arrived just as people were finishing dinner.   Having not hosteled before I found this situation very bizarre.  The room was full of couples, groups and families, all different nationalities and ages and all cooking and eating together yet totally separately.  It was like an odd social experiment- lets put lots of different people together, give them a communal kitchen and see what happens...  We loaded our food into the fridge next to "Bob and Sally's" bag, whoever they were.  I felt a uneasy, had we taken up too much fridge space, had we spoken too loudly or got in anyones way.  As we walked through the corridor I started to relax a little, my inner monologue reminding me that everyone was in the same boat and anyhow I had learnt sharing at playgroup and apart for occasional tears had performed this task generally quite well.  It was all going to be fine, we were just like anyone else...  Just before we reached our room Dan piped up in a very loud voice "is it just me or does it smell like wee?".   Ruined, so much for blending in!  In true hostel fashion I suggested we went out for dinner.  With a full belly and a glass of wine this was starting to feel like holiday.

The following morning we arose for breakfast and plodded our way to the communal kitchen.  Dan and I are barely civil to each other before coffee, a routine which suits us well and neither of us particular notice, but this may well look like a marital domestic to onlookers.  However we left half an hour later post coffee, hand in hand gazing into each others eyes excited about the adventure to come.

We started the long drive from Franz to Wanaka and just as we set off the rain started.  It didn't stop us enjoying a few spots on the way.  We had lovely sandfly sandwiches on the beach (I have literally never seen so many bugs) followed by (another) coffee and soup in a random little cafe full of antlers and stuffed game.  As we neared Wanaka the clouds started to lift and the topography changed from west coast bushland to mountainous farmland.   Not only had the shapes changed but so had the colours.  Greens changed to yellows, oranges and vibrant reds as Autumn suddenly unfolded in front of our eyes.  It was so beautiful we found ourselves wanting to stop every ten minutes to take photos only to realise that such beauty is best enjoyed by the eyes rather than the camera lens.  We reached the second YHA hostel which was right on the edge of lake Wanaka and were pleased that it seemed a little more 'twee' and a little less 'wee' than the last.  Cooking in the communal kitchen was a a challenge well rewarded with spicy Thai curry.  Dan then 'disappeared' for a while (it was my birthday eve)...  I awake the following morning to balloons and cake, followed by cards and presents.  The thoughtfulness of Dans actions were surpassed only by the excitement and willingness with which he executed his plans.  But it was another wet day.  So we did what all intelligent adults do on wet days, we went to puzzle land.  I won't say too much about this other than the 15 degree room made me feel soooooooo queezy and I sent Dan into the maze on his own as spending an hour getting frustrated and lost in the rain wasn't really my idea of fun.  I was pleased to see him when he emerged that the excitement of our reunion outweighed Dan's frustration; he had been convinced it would only take him 10 minutes.

We then drove to Queenstown where I was to be completely spoilt as Dan had booked the Hilton for the night. We enjoyed the spa, then got dressed up for dinner, ate amazing food and had a wonderful evening.  I think I'm much more suited to 5* hotels than hostels.

We had a coffee in Queenstown and walked through the park before starting the drive to Milford Sound.  The clouds were still low so we decided to come back via Queenstown when the weather had cleared up.  As we drove down towards the Fiordlands the clouds lifted and it was as if God was giving us another present to enjoy as we realised that these clouds had been snow clouds.They had left beautiful frosted, snow peaked mountains for our viewing pleasure.  The trip seemed to be taking us through the seasons and we had just hit winter.

You may remember from a previous blog that there is only one place to stay in Milford Sound, the place Jeff and Sheila had ended up in a shared dorm.  But we had learn from their mistakes and Dan had booked a double cabin so nothing could go wrong... Where Wattleys are involved this is never the case!  As we left Te Anu the little town 120km from Milford we saw a road sign which suggested that there was a tunnel we had to go though that was to close at 5:30pm.  We had no idea about this 'closing tunnel' and it was already 4pm and the aforementioned road sign (as well as numerous guide books/maps) stated we must allow 2 hours.  We gestimated that the tunnel was three quarters of the way along and that we should make it as long as we stuck to some rules
1) Dan was driving,
2) No scenic stops along the way.
The drive was so beautiful and it was difficult watching the scenery wizz by but it had to be done!

Made it!  As we checked in to our double cabin I looked at the map of the building and felt confused.  I had known there were communal toilets but this looked like they were outside.  I could feel Dan's anxiety levels rising as he also realised this.  This was a long way from the Hilton.... and our portacabin was actually smaller than the bed in Queenstown.  However when faced with these situations one has a choice, you either embrace the adventure or you don't.  I generally find this decision dictates your enjoyment and despite my appreciation of the luxurious things in life I am actually quite an adventurer at heart.  But don't tell Dan or our next trip will be tramping in -10 with snow and crampons!

To be continued .....