I forgot to mention, but during my ordeal this morning, I asked the customer service lady if there was anywhere good to eat once I went through security. I swear, the first thing she said was, "well, there's a KFC upstairs." I interjected with disgust (don't get me wrong, I love me some fried chicken, and I suspect the quality of chickens at New Zealand KFCs outpaces America's, but it was morning and I definitely said good) to which she responded, "it's our favorite."
I'm sure she was attempting to speak for the whole country. The funny thing is, I don't disbelieve her. I saw a ludicrous number of KFCs while I was in New Zealand.
She went on to say there was some other stuff upstairs, so off I went. I settled for a pub/cafe (also not a rare thing, which perhaps balances the apparent KFC proliferation) where I could get a breakfast.
As it turns out, this story as an epilogue. Are you curious about the epilogue? Do you want to know? Do you want to know?!
There was actually better food past security. Which, of course, is what I had originally asked about...
Sunday, June 24, 2012
In Transit
I left the farm yesterday and have basically been in transit since.
It was a three-hour drive to the airport in Christchurch (where, incidentally, I saw the lady who gave me bad news about my "excess baggage" the last time I left from there; I wasn't feeling cathartic, though...).
My flight to Auckland was delayed, and so the only thing to do when I finally arrived at the hotel was to eat Indian food in my room and watch the All-Blacks destroy Ireland. Oh, and listen to the gaggle of giggling girls through the paper-thin walls. That was fun.
I had to wake early for my 10:30 flight out of Auckland because of the "three-hours prior" check-in rule that's in place. While checking in, I was informed that, once again, I was carrying excess baggage. Excess in this case being the exact same baggage I brought with me.
I tried to explain the absurdity of this, but the complaints fell on deaf ears. The lady even commented on the fact that I was under the weight limit. Apparently, the irony was not evident. If I were more clever, I would have found a gigantic trash bag and some packing tape. As it was, I simply pointed out that I was basically being held hostage for $200 (NZD), acknowledged that it wasn't the lady's fault, and left to pay the tab.
Luckily, the customer service lady was a bit more competent than the check-in lady, and I only ended up being charged $115 (NZD). There's a letter in the works about how the inconsistent enforcement of absurd baggage rules (the rule, incidentally, is one checked bag and one carry-on for an international flight) doesn't really help anyone.
Since I didn't have breakfast and didn't sleep well, "The Baggage Incident, Part 2" raised my crankiness level to the setting just past eleven. A mediocre latte and my pear helped a bit, and the full meal I had a bit later helped a bit more.
I watched Safe House (surprisingly not awful) on the plane, was fed (there was ice cream!) and caffeinated (also mediocre) again and felt a lot better. As we descended into Fiji.
Fiji is hot and humid, as you'd expect. This is bad if you've just come from tramping (hiking) in the high hills when it's been 40 (F) out and peeling layers as you went. I was, once again, dispirited. The passport lines and baggage claim area and customs lines were all long and annoying. And, I had to go through the process of paying a quarantine penalty for a sealed food item I brought with me from New Zealand. Not knowing the exact exchange rate (I thought I remembered the NZD to FJD rate being similar to the USD to NZD rate, but wasn't sure) I was a little panicked. In the end, it was $5.60 FJD, which is about $3 USD. Totally.
I cleared the customs, stowed my bags, and ventured out. There isn't much to see in my time radius, as it turns out, so I'm camped at an outdoor, but shady hotel restaurant. I ate some sort of local raw fish covered in coconut cream, citrus, and a light relish.
I'll head back to the airport in a bit. Even though it will enhance my sense of being in limbo. I'll land in LA, go through customs again, and then trek to my LA-NY red-eye. I'll then hustle to my flight to Portland followed up by a two-hour drive to camp. That will be the morning of the 25th and my trip will have reached an end (though, I think it has already concluded).
It was a three-hour drive to the airport in Christchurch (where, incidentally, I saw the lady who gave me bad news about my "excess baggage" the last time I left from there; I wasn't feeling cathartic, though...).
My flight to Auckland was delayed, and so the only thing to do when I finally arrived at the hotel was to eat Indian food in my room and watch the All-Blacks destroy Ireland. Oh, and listen to the gaggle of giggling girls through the paper-thin walls. That was fun.
I had to wake early for my 10:30 flight out of Auckland because of the "three-hours prior" check-in rule that's in place. While checking in, I was informed that, once again, I was carrying excess baggage. Excess in this case being the exact same baggage I brought with me.
I tried to explain the absurdity of this, but the complaints fell on deaf ears. The lady even commented on the fact that I was under the weight limit. Apparently, the irony was not evident. If I were more clever, I would have found a gigantic trash bag and some packing tape. As it was, I simply pointed out that I was basically being held hostage for $200 (NZD), acknowledged that it wasn't the lady's fault, and left to pay the tab.
Luckily, the customer service lady was a bit more competent than the check-in lady, and I only ended up being charged $115 (NZD). There's a letter in the works about how the inconsistent enforcement of absurd baggage rules (the rule, incidentally, is one checked bag and one carry-on for an international flight) doesn't really help anyone.
Since I didn't have breakfast and didn't sleep well, "The Baggage Incident, Part 2" raised my crankiness level to the setting just past eleven. A mediocre latte and my pear helped a bit, and the full meal I had a bit later helped a bit more.
I watched Safe House (surprisingly not awful) on the plane, was fed (there was ice cream!) and caffeinated (also mediocre) again and felt a lot better. As we descended into Fiji.
Fiji is hot and humid, as you'd expect. This is bad if you've just come from tramping (hiking) in the high hills when it's been 40 (F) out and peeling layers as you went. I was, once again, dispirited. The passport lines and baggage claim area and customs lines were all long and annoying. And, I had to go through the process of paying a quarantine penalty for a sealed food item I brought with me from New Zealand. Not knowing the exact exchange rate (I thought I remembered the NZD to FJD rate being similar to the USD to NZD rate, but wasn't sure) I was a little panicked. In the end, it was $5.60 FJD, which is about $3 USD. Totally.
I cleared the customs, stowed my bags, and ventured out. There isn't much to see in my time radius, as it turns out, so I'm camped at an outdoor, but shady hotel restaurant. I ate some sort of local raw fish covered in coconut cream, citrus, and a light relish.
I'll head back to the airport in a bit. Even though it will enhance my sense of being in limbo. I'll land in LA, go through customs again, and then trek to my LA-NY red-eye. I'll then hustle to my flight to Portland followed up by a two-hour drive to camp. That will be the morning of the 25th and my trip will have reached an end (though, I think it has already concluded).
Friday, June 22, 2012
Moeraki Boulders
Today I drove to Oamaru and then on to see the Moeraki Boulders. As you can see below, they are a series of boulders that are oddly spherical and have the appearance of being kind of glued together.
They are quite beautiful and are set gorgeously along the ocean. They are a reminder to me of New Zealand's natural beauty and how well its looked after, but also of how little of it I have seen during my visit.
They are quite beautiful and are set gorgeously along the ocean. They are a reminder to me of New Zealand's natural beauty and how well its looked after, but also of how little of it I have seen during my visit.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Around the Farm
Walked around the farm a bit today. The land is amazing– yellow/gold grasses and tussocks, rolling hills and snow-capped mountains, and loads of sheep. They are a bit skittish (which I think is a good thing) so it is difficult to photograph them, but I snuck up on some late in the day.
I walked for four hours, or so, over hill and dale. When I decided to come back, I thought dropping down into a valley and following a stream home would be a good idea. It wasn't bad, but the ground was too wet to walk along the creek. As I made my way back up a hill, my foot and calf sunk into some soft earth. It was high ground for the rest of the walk home.
I relaxed in the grass as the sun sunk low and listened to the sounds. Wind rustling the tussocks, the occasional distant bleat, some bird calls, and the silence of the country.
I walked for four hours, or so, over hill and dale. When I decided to come back, I thought dropping down into a valley and following a stream home would be a good idea. It wasn't bad, but the ground was too wet to walk along the creek. As I made my way back up a hill, my foot and calf sunk into some soft earth. It was high ground for the rest of the walk home.
I relaxed in the grass as the sun sunk low and listened to the sounds. Wind rustling the tussocks, the occasional distant bleat, some bird calls, and the silence of the country.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Milford Sound Pictures
Some are from the trip there, some are from the trip back, but this should be a pretty good (black and white, there will be color as well, eventually) set of images to get a flavor.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Milford Sound
Spectacular. It was quite the journey to get there, but gorgeous. I even encountered some parrots in the snow; it was wild (one even jumped in the car!).
I didn't know that the area around Milford Sound (actually a fiord) was a rain forest, but it is. The mountains are huge and jut right out of the water. Trickling waterfalls everywhere. Spectacular.
Today I'm off to Wanaka for a visit to Mt. Aspiring College (google it until I can make a link) then on to the farm.
But not before some porridge
I didn't know that the area around Milford Sound (actually a fiord) was a rain forest, but it is. The mountains are huge and jut right out of the water. Trickling waterfalls everywhere. Spectacular.
Today I'm off to Wanaka for a visit to Mt. Aspiring College (google it until I can make a link) then on to the farm.
But not before some porridge
Monday, June 18, 2012
Even More Pictures!
These are from Queenstown. The lady with the ducks eventually became our model for the workshop.
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