Pacific 2004 - Day 57 - New Zealand to Singapore

• Mailed laptop + final non-essentials to camp office
• Flew from Auckland to Singapore (11 hrs)
• Checked into Boon Wah Hotel - air-con + TV
• Stayed in for evening

Pacific 2004 - Day 56 - New Zealand

• Re-registered Bucky + shipped extra stuff home from Hamilton
• Drove to Backpacker's Car Market in Auckland - sold Bucky (NZ$3500) to English couple - profit in 3 hours, thanks to the current exchange rate :)
• Changed flight date - fly to Singapore tomorrow!
• Surfed Internet, wrote Richard, booked hostel for 2 nights in S-pore
• Stayed @ Aloe Tree Lodge (NZ$58)

Pacific 2004 - Day 55 - New Zealand

• Drove north to Cambridge
• Took break in Turangi to see community mosaic panels

• Camped @ Cambridge Motor Camp on Scott St (NZ$24)
• In the kitchen, met David + Katharina from near Mannheim, Germany - gave them all of our food + fuel + some books

Pacific 2004 - Day 54 - New Zealand

• Woke up @ 4 am?!
• Saw cool mosaic fish mailbox on coast road

• Traversed S. Island from West Coast to Blenheim
• Wild goose chase to visit The Store - not the place Dave remembered
• Caught 6pm ferry to Wellington - great sunset - met Dennis + Esther from Malaysia

• Camped @ Paekakariki Motor Camp/Holiday Park (NZ$20)
• Quote of the Day (Dave): "Merge like a zip...bitch!"

Pacific 2004 - Day 53 - New Zealand

• Big decisions this morning
• Both of us are longing for San Antonio - may return there in U.S. winter/spring
• Need more travel stimulation - will start getting ready to head to Asia early - will head for Auckland now
• In good spirits for hike out

• Met local couple - wife Gail is from Indiana + went to IU
• Soaked in rock pools @ Maruia Springs Thermal Complex (NZ$20 for 2) - beautiful rock pools constructed above river - nice hot spring waterfall for all-over body massage
• Ate dinner in Greymouth @ Priya Indian restaurant - "feast for 2" (NZ$23 ea) - appetizer platter, 2 curries, naan, pappodom, rice, dessert, drink - YUM
• Free-camped on coast road north of Greymouth - nice to hear surf again

Pacific 2004 - Day 52 - New Zealand

• Hiked to Boyle's Flat Hut - trail very muddy - rain most of the day

• Packed 8 days of food for long circular hike - too much weight! - decided on 5-day max in future
• Trail + tramping so dismal, we decided not to continue intended route
• Had hut to ourselves - ate 2nd lunch + big dinner to reduce load

Pacific 2004 - Day 51 - New Zealand

Beginning of Labor Weekend - traffic!
Drove to Springs Junction for last-minute groceries + some lunch
Free-camped @ trailhead for St. James Walkway - sand flies horrible!! :(

Pacific 2004 - Day 50 - New Zealand

• Into Christchurch to see Amadeus (director's cut) @ Regent Cinema
• Internet, book shopping, another meal @ Sampan House
• Stopped @ "historic pub" for wedges + beer - watched horse + dog racing on giant TV - Dave picked 3 winners in a row!
• Drove northwest to SH7
• Camped @ Balmoral Reserve Park (free) - neighbor's stove caught fire - lent first aid supplies

Pacific 2004 - Day 49 - New Zealand

• Woken by keas again - very used to begging for food - no luck with us!

• Sunny day, so we hiked out the way we came in - trail in fantastic condition - lunch @ Mt. Somers Hut - total hike 4.5 hrs

• Drove into Christchurch
• Yummy lunch/dinner @ Sampan House
• Camped @ Addington Accomodation Park - friendly but dumpy

Pacific 2004 - Day 48 - New Zealand

• Woken by keas, but didn't realize what they were
• Another gorgeous sunny day!
• Hiked to waterfall behind hut via climbing rocks + scrub hillsides + creekbed - showered in waterfall + bathed in pool below - sunbathed too - water was breathtakingly cold but awesome
• Hiked back in creek - overall a great Kiwi outing: bushwhacking + wet shoes

• Have had the Pinnacles Hut to ourselves for 3 nights :)

Pacific 2004 - Day 47 - New Zealand

• Beautiful sunny day!

• Chopped firewood
• Laid in front of fire @ night
• Possum on porch named James after author of The Rats (book Dave found in hut)

Pacific 2004 - Day 46 - New Zealand

• Hiked to Pinnacles Hut (4 hrs) - tough! - snow on track was treacherous - more cloud + mist, but some sun - nice lunch break @ saddle

• Had P-Hut to ourselves
• Possum on porch @ night

Pacific 2004 - Day 45 - New Zealand

• Began Mt. Somers Walkway
• Misty and cold (love it!), some rain, no view of Mt. Somers
• Good hike to Mt. Somers hut on Woolshed Creek (4 hrs)

• Hut divided into musterers' side and trampers' side - stayed in musterers' side - nice fireplace
• Snow throughout evening + night

Pacific 2004 - Day 44 - New Zealand

• Drove toward Mt. Somers Walkway
• Rainy day
• Stopped in Fairlie for lunch - local kids playing on a grass maze

• Camped @ Woolshed Creek car park@ base of Walkway - great river

Pacific 2004 - Day 43 - New Zealand

• Hiked "access to Benmore Recreation Area" track of SH8 near Twizel - ridge + pasture - good 3 hrs exercise + views + curious Stepford cattle

• Drove toward Geraldine - pulled off for nap - knackered from hike!
• Free-camped @ picnic area next to Geraldine Forest (private) - 2 other vans pulled into same area - 1 parked 6 ft away - moron!

Pacific 2004 - Days 37-42 - New Zealand

• Have stayed @ condo in Omarama since Oct 8

• Yummy dinners, lots of reading + TV - 2 American presidential debates (Go Kerry)

• Walked along river trail in Twizel - great water

• Condo complex is deserted and outdated - ready to move on

Pacific 2004 - Day 36 - New Zealand

• Dave's birthday!
• Nice turquoise rivers + lakes on way to Omarama

• Checked into Countrytime Club in Omarama
• Awesome tapas dinner by Dave

Pacific 2004 - Day 35 - New Zealand

• Lunch @ Pulsi in Christchurch
• Cold, cloudy day
• Walked thru Arts Centre
• To Botanic Gardens for walk + tea

• Watched Super-Size Me - great, but made Shannon want a Quarter Pounder - sick
• Free-camped off SH1 near Ashburton, next to RR tracks

Pacific 2004 - Day 34 - New Zealand

• Played around White's Bay - funky rocks

• Stopped @ gorgeous Montana Winery - bought wrought iron olive spoon - enjoyed huge fireplace + leather couches w/ cappuccino + Cuisine magazines

• Fish + chips in Kaikoura followed by...
• Walk along clifftop of peninsula - great views, no whales or dolphins

• Nice views of mountains covered later by cloud front

• Stayed @ Meadow Park Holiday Camp (NZ$28) in Christchurch - tried to get our money's worth using kitchen + pool w/ water slide