So when I got to work this morning I needed a slash. There are three toilets - men, women, and disabled. Why is it important for abled women get a separate loo from the men, but not the disabled ones? What are they trying to say?
Also, I've just realised that 99% of mistakes at work come through boredom, through the tedium of repetitive tasks that send you into an automatic, unconcious state. It doesn't help to be in a room lit by fluorescent lights, with stale air, and where you are surrounded by machines ticking away in a metronomous fashion. It takes a special level of kung fu-concentration to be able to focus. Or is this the point where you should take a break?
(note: I have not drank any black tea today, after drinking quite a lot lately, maybe thats the problem)
Tuesday 13 April 2010
New Zealand mega-blog
Hi. I'm in Christchurch, I've got a job in a lab, Otago university (although most of Otago Universtiy is in Dunedin, which is in Otago county, whereas Christchurch is in Canterbury). Have worked two days so far. I'm just analysing someone elses samples, but its quite nice to just have one thing to do. Almost like watching paint dry: watching liquid inexorably drip out of a tube.
I'm staying at some friends I know from Newcastle. It sure makes a change to not be living out of a bag for a bit. I still haven't shaved since I've been in this country though!
I suppose I should write a bit about what I've been doing in the last month. I started out in Auckland, where I stayed with a very nice couple I met when I was in Vietnam. It was good for a bit of normality. The first day I was there I went into a supermarket with them, it was very strange. I felt like a caveman. Also, it was weird not to have to haggle with anyone when buying fruit! I had a couple of nice days in the capital, climbing up the various ex-volcanoes (well, apparently the area under Auckland is still volcanically active) for views of the city. The Louis Vuitton sailing regatta was on, which meant a lot of boats floating about.
Auckland. With boats.
I then took a train to Wellington. Well, I should say "the" train. Its mainly done for (mostly elderly) tourists now. However, it was a nice trip, and there is an outside viewing platform for taking in the scenery (and waking yourself up). And a bar. I like train travel a lot more than buses.
Action shot from the train.
Wellington is a nice place, I hung around there for a few days. I missed the Tonganiro national park out though (where they shot Mt Doom for Lord of the Rings), I regret spending so much time in Auckland and Wellington now, as its getting nearer to Winter now and I don't think I'll be able to do the hikes there when I've finished work. I took the ferry to cross to the south island and another train journey to Christchurch, saw my friends briefly and spoke to my new boss, and then got myself a bus pass (Nakedbus) to go travelling around the south island with. First stop was Te Anau, which boasts the delightful Trout Observatory.
A trout.
Te Anau also is within an hours walk of the start of the Kepler track, one of NZs "great walks". This track is also circular, meaning that, unlike most of the other great walks, transport does not have to be arranged for either end. The first day of the walk is very gentle, through beech forest, then up a substantial climb leading up to Mt Luxmore. Day 2 crossed over some alpine ridges, and was definitely the most scenic with plenty of misty views of the Fjords below. The last day was a long one as it was meant to be done over two days, but I didn't want to fork out for another night in a hut for $45 (dorm rooms where $27 in the Lakeside backpackers).
As well as bunks with matresses, the huts have gas stoves, flushing toilets, and were very clean and maintained. I didn't get a very good sleep at the first hut (Luxmore), as it was very crowded and there was a couple of late night rustlers (people going through all their plastic bags in the middle of the night). At the second (Iris Burn), there were far less people, and it was much more relaxed.
Mists over the Fjords
Yes, I'm a tight git, so I also didn't shell out for a tour of Milford sound (which is a big valley with a river) or jump out of a plane, or bungee jump, or pay for a guided hike up Franz Josef glacier. I did at least see the glacier, very nice. Hey, I'm trying to save my money to keep travelling. I bet all the crowds of people doing all the tours didn't get to see the Trout Observatory.
Yes, its a big load of ice. Coming right for you. Or is it receding?
So I went up the West coast, which has some very dramatic scenery - rugged coastlines, I think they call them, and rainforests, gullies, rivers, lakes and mountains. The bus journeys here pass by really quickly because the views are so nice. I've also met quite a few people, some of whom showed up in other places later on. Not surprising when there's basically one road going round the island. I stopped at Wanaka for a few days, then Franz Josef (which is a nice town aside from the glacier) and Westport.
A friend I made on the Kepler track was telling me about Nelson lakes, and it sounded really nice. Its a bit hard to get to by public transport as its off the main bus route, but I did it by taking the Nelson lakes shuttle bus from Nelson to St Arnaud. There's not much in the town except one shop, which doubles as the petrol station and chippy, and a backpackers/hotel place. I stocked up on instant noodles, bread, eggs, biscuits, beans, crackers, cheese, peanuts and a camping stove, bought a backcountry hut pass for $60 then set off on the Travers-Sabine track, a 5-day hike in the bush. I really enjoyed it, there was not many people about, lots of nice scenery and breathing clean air. Just to be that far away from society for so long was good to experience. The huts on the non-great walks tracks are smaller, and don't have gas stoves, and only have outside drop toilets (one was full of wasps - agh). But once you have a pass you can stay in as many as you like. I'd love to do a 10-day one next time! I had a gas stove, but as the huts have wood burning stoves I saved some gas and cooked on the hut stove in the evening. Chopping wood is also great fun when you haven't done any manual labour (or any work of any sort) for a while. Generally there was only about 8 people staying in the huts per night, and it was a good atmosphere. It was especially good talking to local people, as it was mostly tourists on the Kepler track. Not that I don't like other tourists, its just nice to speak to people from the actual country I am visiting. If you are a possum, stoat, deer or any other introduced animal, you are fair game and killing these animals is actively encouraged by the DOC (Dept of Conservation). One night, the father and son of a family from Hawkes bay went out and clubbed a possum to death outside the hut, and thought nothing of it. It also is your duty as a Kiwi to run over any such animals you see on the road. I've never seen so much roadkill, nor birds of prey tucking into said roadkill. The roads are actually pretty empty outside of the cities, if you drive its probably great.
View of lake Rotoroa, dawn at the Sabine hut, Nelson lakes
(not shown: wasps and sandflies)
I'm staying at some friends I know from Newcastle. It sure makes a change to not be living out of a bag for a bit. I still haven't shaved since I've been in this country though!
I suppose I should write a bit about what I've been doing in the last month. I started out in Auckland, where I stayed with a very nice couple I met when I was in Vietnam. It was good for a bit of normality. The first day I was there I went into a supermarket with them, it was very strange. I felt like a caveman. Also, it was weird not to have to haggle with anyone when buying fruit! I had a couple of nice days in the capital, climbing up the various ex-volcanoes (well, apparently the area under Auckland is still volcanically active) for views of the city. The Louis Vuitton sailing regatta was on, which meant a lot of boats floating about.
Auckland. With boats. I then took a train to Wellington. Well, I should say "the" train. Its mainly done for (mostly elderly) tourists now. However, it was a nice trip, and there is an outside viewing platform for taking in the scenery (and waking yourself up). And a bar. I like train travel a lot more than buses.
Action shot from the train. Wellington is a nice place, I hung around there for a few days. I missed the Tonganiro national park out though (where they shot Mt Doom for Lord of the Rings), I regret spending so much time in Auckland and Wellington now, as its getting nearer to Winter now and I don't think I'll be able to do the hikes there when I've finished work. I took the ferry to cross to the south island and another train journey to Christchurch, saw my friends briefly and spoke to my new boss, and then got myself a bus pass (Nakedbus) to go travelling around the south island with. First stop was Te Anau, which boasts the delightful Trout Observatory.
A trout.
Te Anau also is within an hours walk of the start of the Kepler track, one of NZs "great walks". This track is also circular, meaning that, unlike most of the other great walks, transport does not have to be arranged for either end. The first day of the walk is very gentle, through beech forest, then up a substantial climb leading up to Mt Luxmore. Day 2 crossed over some alpine ridges, and was definitely the most scenic with plenty of misty views of the Fjords below. The last day was a long one as it was meant to be done over two days, but I didn't want to fork out for another night in a hut for $45 (dorm rooms where $27 in the Lakeside backpackers).
As well as bunks with matresses, the huts have gas stoves, flushing toilets, and were very clean and maintained. I didn't get a very good sleep at the first hut (Luxmore), as it was very crowded and there was a couple of late night rustlers (people going through all their plastic bags in the middle of the night). At the second (Iris Burn), there were far less people, and it was much more relaxed.
Mists over the Fjords
Yes, I'm a tight git, so I also didn't shell out for a tour of Milford sound (which is a big valley with a river) or jump out of a plane, or bungee jump, or pay for a guided hike up Franz Josef glacier. I did at least see the glacier, very nice. Hey, I'm trying to save my money to keep travelling. I bet all the crowds of people doing all the tours didn't get to see the Trout Observatory.
Yes, its a big load of ice. Coming right for you. Or is it receding?
So I went up the West coast, which has some very dramatic scenery - rugged coastlines, I think they call them, and rainforests, gullies, rivers, lakes and mountains. The bus journeys here pass by really quickly because the views are so nice. I've also met quite a few people, some of whom showed up in other places later on. Not surprising when there's basically one road going round the island. I stopped at Wanaka for a few days, then Franz Josef (which is a nice town aside from the glacier) and Westport.
A friend I made on the Kepler track was telling me about Nelson lakes, and it sounded really nice. Its a bit hard to get to by public transport as its off the main bus route, but I did it by taking the Nelson lakes shuttle bus from Nelson to St Arnaud. There's not much in the town except one shop, which doubles as the petrol station and chippy, and a backpackers/hotel place. I stocked up on instant noodles, bread, eggs, biscuits, beans, crackers, cheese, peanuts and a camping stove, bought a backcountry hut pass for $60 then set off on the Travers-Sabine track, a 5-day hike in the bush. I really enjoyed it, there was not many people about, lots of nice scenery and breathing clean air. Just to be that far away from society for so long was good to experience. The huts on the non-great walks tracks are smaller, and don't have gas stoves, and only have outside drop toilets (one was full of wasps - agh). But once you have a pass you can stay in as many as you like. I'd love to do a 10-day one next time! I had a gas stove, but as the huts have wood burning stoves I saved some gas and cooked on the hut stove in the evening. Chopping wood is also great fun when you haven't done any manual labour (or any work of any sort) for a while. Generally there was only about 8 people staying in the huts per night, and it was a good atmosphere. It was especially good talking to local people, as it was mostly tourists on the Kepler track. Not that I don't like other tourists, its just nice to speak to people from the actual country I am visiting. If you are a possum, stoat, deer or any other introduced animal, you are fair game and killing these animals is actively encouraged by the DOC (Dept of Conservation). One night, the father and son of a family from Hawkes bay went out and clubbed a possum to death outside the hut, and thought nothing of it. It also is your duty as a Kiwi to run over any such animals you see on the road. I've never seen so much roadkill, nor birds of prey tucking into said roadkill. The roads are actually pretty empty outside of the cities, if you drive its probably great.
View of lake Rotoroa, dawn at the Sabine hut, Nelson lakes
(not shown: wasps and sandflies)
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