On The Road Again

So I'm sitting here on the beach in Greymouth as I write this (not type--I decided to type after writing since I have to pay a dollar per 10 minutes for computer use). It was quite grey yesterday when I arrived and I couldn't help but wonder if this minor detail was pertinent to the name of the city or was mere coincidence. Well it has cleared up nicely this morning, and I am contemplating putting off my departure for the glaciers by about an hour so I can spend some quality time roaming the beach (it has a smooth rock and dark sand section with lots of driftwood on both). The waves seemed to break nicely here yesterday, but there's a decent groundswell here this morning from the weather that came through last night.

Anyhow, my apologies for being away and not contributing for the last few days. No travelling mate ase of yet, and I am not too sure that I'd want one at this point--at least not for full duration of the remainder of my stay. I have met plenty of nice people along the way, however. I'm at my half-way point for the visit to the South Island (crazy, right?!), and I made some major revisions to my itinerary. I have none. Okay, well, I still have the same list of places and things to do, but I'm not doing them in that order. What provoked this sudden (impulsive?) behavior was me driving back from Akaroa (my knees have still not recovered, and this also contributed to the revision) and had intended on going to see the Sign of the Kiwi outside of Christchurch (CHC). So I have my map, and my intended address, and the route all highlighted, and I'm following the road signs when it happens--a roundabout! I frantically search the exit options for the location I need, but it's nowhere to be found; only the immediate cities or places in between my current position and the desired destination. I glance at the map, hesitating to enter the roundabout from Hell. "Well, that vicinity is close to where I want to be, so that could be it. But the first exit is also on the way. Crap!" Take this scenario and repeat it about half a dozen times. I ultimately did stop for directions, but that honestly was no help. So here I am, driving around in the car, on the verge or a panic attack. Having a panic attack is going to accomplish nothing, as I've figured out over the years, and is definitely not a recurring experience that I want to have on my trip. So I manage to navigate my way back to CHC just fine, I drive tot he car rental service, and tell the woman (the same woman who told me that GPS would be a waste of money that would be better used towards beer and biscuits, neither of which she seemed to be missing) that I wanted the GPS. Once I got it and figured out how to use it, a weight was lifted off my shoulders! No hesitation! Freedom! All of this took place on Wednesday. So I headed back to the hostel that I'd stayed the first night in CHC, did some grocery shopping (my comfort activity--really, it totally settles my nereves), and decided to play catch-up the next day.

I woke up bright and early on Thursday and visited the Botanic Gardens, Canterbury Museum, and the Cathedral. I also swung by Vodafone (their primary cell phone provider) and got a new SIM card which has rendered itself useless since there's only reception in the big cities in NZ. Thus far, that is CHC. (So glad I didn't get the iPhone before I left.) Buying SIM cards here can be like a drug deal should you wander into any convenience store that advertises them. They're taped to a piece of paper with an accompanying phone number and the clerk will only take sach. Credit? Sorry, no deal. Anyhow, it looks like my uncle might get a SIM card from me should I not get any takers on it before my departure. After all this, I drove to Willowsprings Reserve, or something to that effect, to see the Ko Tane experience, which is an encounter with the traditional Maori culture. Think Mai Kai less the drinks and dinner and replaced with an animal reserve for my Florida readers. I then departed CHC for Kaikoura to stay the night.

Something I have noticed about NZ is that they are very laconic with their road signs. I'm driving on the motorway (interstate) to Kaikoura at about 7:30 PM or so (projected arrival of 10 PM) and I start seeing road signs. Not billboards, but actual roadsigns with various messages like the ones you see on the turnpike. A steaming cup of coffe that said "Driver Reviver" and pointed towards some restaurants. The next gave me a laugh with dashes that were separated and eventually came together that instructed "Merge like a zipper". But I laughed hardest when I saw "Tired Drivers Die" with a car rolling off the road and "ZZZZZ" coming from it. I have seen others since, such as "Fatigue kills. Don't drive tired." and "Drive sober. Don't become extinct." Some strong (and often entertaining) messages.

I arrived in Kaikour just before 10 PM. The thing about NZ is that everything but the bars close between 5 and 8 PM, and unfortunately this included the camper park where I intended to stay the night. Driving along the coast, I noticed some pretty amazing spots overlooking the ocean, and keeping in mind that "Tired drivers die" as my eyes began to grow weary, I turned back and drove 15 K to a spot across from a motel and a few hundred yards from another parked van. In the morning, I dorve to Seal Bach to see the seals sun themeselves on the rocks, but I think I got there a little early as there were none on the rocks and just one was flying solo in the water. Little guy knows how to do it right ;-). I skipped Waipara as wine tasting wasn't a priority and I'm not sure how I'd react with allergies and all. With the intentions of heading straight for Greymouth on Friday, I started west but decided to stop in Hamner Springs, a quaint little mountain town full of shopping andn activities, but boasting natural hot sulfer springs. After a little shopping (can you believe that I went leisure shopping?) I spent about 2 hours in the pools in hopes they would ease my aching knees. I met a handful of nice people here, some Americans, others natives.

Saturday morning, I left the Springs and headed towards Greymouth finally. I stopped at Lewis Pass (a 5-7 day hike) and walked the trail a bit until my knees couldn't handle anymore, which was about 45 minutes one way, but still got some excellent scenery. I continued on to Reefton where I stopped for some Rum Raisin ice cream (sooooo good!) and got into Greymouth around 4 PM yesterday. Today I head south and will hopefull be able to check out the glaciers. Time is running out on my clock, so that's all for now!