Since the original database was lost by our host we’re in the process of restoring everything. ?? It will take some time but those of you who were following our adventures closely will start seeing new stuff in a few days as we’ll catch up quickly with that stuff and then start working backwards.?? It’s?? pain for us too.

Pictures will be restored in phase two..or as soon as Emily starts helping get things up so we can work double time.

-Jonathan

Our plan for today involved a short drive between Invercargill and Manapouri, the closest place to Doubtful Sound, a place we hope to visit tomorrow.?? Because the drive wasn???t long we left a little later than usual, spending the morning to call people back in the States and say hello.

As we drove out of town we remembered that the season for Bluff Oysters (from Stewart Island) had just started and that we needed to get some.?? We didn???t think that would be a problem since every fish shop and market we passed had a big sign advertising that they had fresh oysters and we continued up the coast.

We drove through picturesque towns, mining towns and what appeared almost to be a ghost town before we finally made our first stop of the day in a quaint little place called Riverton.?? It was really just a stop to stretch our legs and scope out a bit of the local fishing scene.?? Turns out we should have bought our oysters there.

45 minutes later we found ourselves in a tiny little hamlet called Cozy Nook.?? Actually hamlet is a large exaggeration for a tiny little harbor that has maybe 6-8 houses on it, maybe 4 boats and an awful lot of sheep.?? The harbor is really a rocky inlet where jagged outcrops of rock are pounded by heavy seas.?? There is no beach, or gentle slopes here, it???s a rough and rugged place which doesn???t hold yachts or pleasure boats but is home to old fashioned Kiwi fishermen.

It wasn???t long after we arrived that we met one, a gentleman named Mark, who invited us into his home.?? Along with another couple we sat and talked with Mark about this and that ??? ranging from topics which included boatbuilding, collectables, old books, history, real estate, and Mark???s various commercial endeavors.?? We really liked him and it seems likely we???ll stay in touch.

It was during a discussion of seafood, talking about crayfish (what they call lobster), that the topic of oysters came up.?? Mark informed us that we should have bought our oysters back in Invercargill, that we???d come too far north to be likely to get them.?? He was fairly sure they had them about 45 minutes back in Riverton, but that wasn???t part of our game plan.?? He then suggested we might try the town of Tautapere on our way to Manapouri.
That became our plan, but I decided to fish for a little bit in the harbor before we went.?? So I climbed out on the rocks towards the heart of the harbor and fished for a few minutes until it started raining rather severely.?? It came down hard and back in the comfort of the car we debated waiting in this lovely place versus heading down the road and moving on.?? And that???s what we did.

Despite the rain we took a short stop over at an outlook called McCracken???s Rest where Hectors Dolphins are often sighted. ??While Emily stayed in the car I braved the rain and looked in vain for the dolphins.?? Soaked and sad that we haven???t yet seen these majestic creatures we headed off to Tautapere in the hopes of at least finding some bluff oysters.

Alas, we struck out there, but came across something else ??? a place called Tautapere Famous Sausages, which claimed to have won awards for the best beef sausage in New Zealand.?? We couldn???t leave that untested so we picked up a few before moving on again.?? Not long after that we made it to Manapouri, where we found out that the day trip to Doubtful Sound would cost us between $400-500.?? On the advice of a local we passed on it, and decided that we???d rather spend the money in Milford sound in a day or so.

We stayed at the most dreadful place we???ve stayed at anywhere on our trip tonight, a place called the Possum Lodge.?? It was really lousy ??? especially the kitchen.?? Anyone visiting this area really should give this place a pass.

Our night in the camper was actually quite charming and we were really tempted to stay here for another day doing nothing but drinking in the clean air and watching the sealions but somehow we managed to put ourselves back on the road.?? Surat bay is definitely a special place and we both hope to return, but for now we???ve got a survey of New Zealand to complete.?? So off we went, planning for a final destination of Invercargill where we planned to stay the night.

When I mentioned that to a Kiwi the question ???why on earth would you want to go there for???? was asked.?? ???There isn???t anything there to see, it???s just flat.???

I admit that since Americans, Brits, Aussies, and Kiwis all have slightly different senses of humor I thought he was joking with me.?? Turns out he really wasn???t.?? Invercargill is an okay enough town, but it???s hardly lovely and it???s pretty sleepy overall.?? But boy did we have a great day getting there.

Our day started with an unlikely wildlife encounter. Penguins in general, at least in this part of the world are pretty shy creatures and usually avoid people as best they can.?? So when we climbed down the hillside and onto the beach where Cathedral Caves are located and headed into the caves we were stunned to see a Blue Penguin come walking out of the interior of the caves.?? From the standpoint of a veterinarian and a naturalist I thought he didn???t look very healthy, in fact he seemed dangerously thin; and since most of penguins have already started their migration and he wasn???t in molt I concluded that he was either very old, or too ill to migrate.
Instead of fleeing into the seas when we arrived he climbed up onto a small rock at the mouth of the cave and gave us all a bit of a once over.?? At first that was ok, we respected him and kept our distance, but soon more and more people began to arrive.?? That???s because the caves are only accessible for 2 hours before low tide to about 2 hours after and that creates a small window of time where people can come to see a pretty amazing site.

As more people arrived a handful of onlookers soon turned into a crowd and quite a few of them saw the penguin as little more than a photo opportunity rather than as a creature to be respected.?? At first he was ok with it, but people just kept getting closer and the little guy got scared.?? He slowly tottered to the sea on seemingly shaky legs and almost seemed afraid to go into the water.?? Yet eventually the sheer number of people drove him into the cold water, maybe for the last time.?? From the looks of him I seriously doubt he???ll survive the winter (remember it???s the end of summer here in the southern hemisphere).?? Still he was a very beautiful creature and I hope I???m wrong.

Finally after the penguin departed we took the chance to take a look at the caves themselves.?? As you might surmise from the name these are huge caves with vaulted ceilings which have a cathedral like air about them.?? They are totally inaccessible at high tide, and the back walls where the light barely penetrates some 100 plus feet inside, give evidence that the sea fills the cave with each high tide.

It???s an intense little bit of natural landscape that you don???t often see and the sheer loveliness of the beach and cliffs around make it more special as does the fact that the caverns join together at the back so that you can enter or depart via different points than where you entered.

From there we took a short drive down to Dolphin Bay which is the usual haunt for a pod of one of the world???s most endangered and smallest dolphins, the Hector Dolphin.?? Even though they are regularly spotted here and we spent almost two hours waiting (and even came back later), we never saw a thing.?? Even without them we enjoyed the spot, like everywhere in New Zealand (and especially the Caitlins) its just an amazing beautiful locale.

It also borders another of the most remarkable natural sights in this country, Curios Bay ??? a petrified Jurassic forest from 180 million years ago!?? Some people think this is an incredibly boring spot, but Emily and I found it fascinating.?? It???s incredible just how much detail of the wood and flora survived in this petrified state, you can count the rings in the tree stumps, be amazed at the length of the fallen timber, and touch a little bit of history.
It???s also a great place just to sit and watch the ocean and the creatures who live along the water???s edge.?? Pied Oystercatchers (who don???t actually catch or eat oysters) plied their trade and sought their dinner among the breaking waves, sea lions frolicked along the edge of the ledges where the forest sits, and gulls, terns, and shags warily watched the few humans who sat pondering the frozen bit of time that the bay has preserved.

After another check for the dolphins, who we really wanted to see, we had to move on to Invercargill, it???s amazing how quickly the day went.??

We stayed at a place called Southern Comfort Backpackers which really could be an amazing accommodation but for now lacks sufficient kitchen and bathroom facilities for the amount of guests they have (and their internet system is one of the worst we???ve seen).?? That???s not to say that the kitchen isn???t just lovely and well equipped, just that it???s too small for the number of people cooking in it.

With the help of our hosts we tried to figure out a way to affordably visit Stewart Island, the southernmost point of New Zealand and supposedly a bird watcher???s paradise.?? We were shocked by how expensive it was - $160 on the ferry each, plus accommodations, plus you needed to rent a car on the island to get around.?? After much discussion we decided we???d have to give it a pass to explore other amazing areas in NZ.

We were treated to a pleasant surprise this morning. The owner of the holiday park where we wanted to stay another night didn???t manage to find a cabin for us, but he did find a camper. Since Emily and I had hoped to rent a campervan here and tour New Zealand in that way it sounded like a great option, especially once we saw the camper and found that it was very nice.

So we move our stuff to the camper and then set out to do some nature watching. Ok, not a tremendous amount of nature watching, but to go and loaf on the beach with the sea lions. Emily went a little berserk with the picture taking while admiring the sea lions as they frolicked. It seemed they like to pose for pictures too, well all except one grumpy old fellow who chased Emily down the beach for a few yards.

Eventually the sea lions settled in for an afternoon siesta and we decided we needed to do something else.

All the cockle shells on the beach had given me some ideas and after a few minutes of talking to the owner of the holiday park we learned the locale of some local cockle beds and just what to look for. It wasn???t hard work and within an hour we had enough cockles to feed a small army.

Once that was taken care of we tried to add a little more seafood to the night???s menu. Using some of the cockles as bait I did a little fishing and caught some fish. It was called something like a ???green back??? according to a local who told us it was delicious. They are voracious little creatures who kept robbing me of my bait. Every second it was bite, bite, bite and then I???d reel in a bare hook. Eventually I ended up using the fish I had caught as bait too ??? and he must have been the only one big enough to swallow my hook.

While we were fishing, our German friends from Dunedin showed up at the same holiday park, and with them and the Australian crew (who we really like) we had a huge dinner party. We shared cockles with everyone and made ourselves a heck of dinner, with a version of Linguini with clam (or in this case cockle) sauce. It was delicious.

Dunedin is definitely worth a few more days of our time, unfortunately our airline reservations just won???t allow us to linger too long if we want to see more of the country.?? So we spent a few more hours enjoying this metropolis before we headed out.

Since it was just about a year ago today that we left Antarctica it seemed fitting that we take a few minutes to revisit it, and so we did over at the Otago Museum.?? It???s really a remarkable museum and their Antarctica display is just amazing.?? We learned a lot and found it bringing back memories as well as firing up our desire to visit the icy continent once again.?? But it wasn???t the only amazing gallery in the place ??? this small museum is a treasure trove and the few hours we had allotted to it seemed way too short.?? Alas time, and the guys who monitor the parking meters for elapsed time seem to wait for no man, so back to the car and onwards we went.

Our next stop was a building which while artful has defied architectural buttonholing and has become of the most remarkable structures in all of Dunedin, giving rise to articles, arguments and plenty of inspiration.?? The building is the Baldwin St. Railway Station, but today aside from the occasional tourist train running though spectacular landscapes, she???s retired from that duty.?? Now the station which in itself is a work of art with all sorts of touches, like art deco floors, stained glass windows, Edwardian turrets, and an assortment of styles and flavors built into her, is an art gallery, a sports hall of fame, and a place to just drink in the atmosphere of a gentler time.?? She???s a grand piece of history and worth a quick look at the very least.

Emily got bored of it quicker than I did and spurred me to move on.?? So we did, jumping on a road called the Southern Scenic Route and heading off on an adventure that over the next week should take us from the east coast, across the south coast and the Catlins and partially up the west coast to Milford Sounds and Fox Glacier. Our little guide map suggested a lot of places to visit but since time and interest is limited we eliminated those we really didn???t feel the need to see (or see more of) like waterfalls.

Our first stop along the route was a great one ??? Tunnel Beach, one of the most exquisite places I???ve ever seen, and not because of the beach but because of the rock formations and rock bridge sticking out into the sea. The place got its name because a tunnel and staircase lead you down though the solid rock to sea level and a beautiful beach. I???ll let the photos do the talking rather than waste prose on this incredible sight.

Our next sight was Nugget Point, named not after gold that was found in the area but because of a series of rock islands that look from the nearby mountain (and lighthouse) like nuggets of gold against the blue of the ocean.?? It???s a great place for wildlife watching.

Eventually however we made it to Surat Bay, a place named after a sailing vessel which wrecked here in 1874 with a heavy loss of life.?? Before that the bay had the more ominous name of Cannibal Bay, given by an explorer who found human remains here and (wrongly?) attributed it to gourmet weekends among the local people.

If I have to say much more about how beautiful places in New Zealand are I???m afraid you???ll all get sick, but Surat Bay is really an amazing place and far enough off the main highways and roads that it???s a very special place.?? Several miles of unspoiled and unpeopled beach are exposed to the waters of the Pacific.?? The beaches are?? strewn with sunbathing Hookers (New Zealand) Sea Lions, who come to soak up the rays and to take advantage of the abundant marine life in the Bay and just outside it.?? The waters teem with birds, especially at low tide, who feast on small crabs, baby flounder, snail, whelk, cockles and pipis (small clams) who live in the tidal zones.

The bay itself is calm and serene while the ocean lapping at the outer beach leaves a zone of rough and tumultuous water which dissuades most would be swimmers from intruding too much on the local wildlife.

It was here we spent the night at a local holiday park. It turned out to be one of the most wonderful places we???ve stayed on the trip in terms of quality and comfort.?? We had a lovely cabin with all the amenities, except for a private bathroom.?? Still we fell in love with it within minutes of arriving.?? It???s a shame they are already fully booked for tomorrow.?? Over dinner we met a lovely group of Australians and we hung out with them into the evening over dinner.
For dinner we had a giant zucchini, which looked like some mutant breed.?? I???ve never seen one half as large.?? We cut it in half and stuffed it with all sorts of stuff and it took forever to cook.

We set out this morning to take a brief walk around town, visit the modern art museum in town and check out a couple of the sights.?? We started with a walk by the Speight???s Brewery, checked out a statue of Robert Burns, went to see the museum (reaffirming some our differences in taste), talked to a tourist office about swimming with dolphins, and made our plans for the day.

What we ended up doing was heading out along the Otago Peninsula to look at the Royal Albatross colony (another endangered species), and to do a little more penguin watching.

Once again I can???t really give enough superlatives about the scenery, the whole country looks like a giant movie set, with incredible shades of blue that make it look like someone ran amok in changing the colors into unreal hues.?? Driving along the roads here however isn???t for the faint of heart or those scared of heights.?? Roads on the peninsula are very narrow, often have sheer edges and have no safety features.?? Emily just kept repeating over and over ???I can???t believe there are no guardrails.??? Since we were driving on the left side that meant that on the whole way out our wheels were just inches from the 8 to 12 foot drop off leading right into the ocean.

Happily scuba gear was not required and Emily regained her composure (boy, does she hate edges) and then fell promptly asleep once we got away from the edges.?? So when we arrived at the cliff where the Royal Albatross colony is located, she told me to leave her alone so she could sleep some more, and to go see it myself.

So I did, and eventually Emily joined me.?? At first there weren???t many albatross to see, just shags (a bird which I think is a kind of cormorant), red billed seagulls, and down in the water the occasional Hookers Seal Lion (that???s the name, not the occupation) playing in the water.?? About 20 minutes into my vigil an albatross swung in from the sea and headed back to the steep cliff to roost.

Albatross in many ways, look like seagulls but their huge wingspan and the shape in which their wings arc in flight is a dead giveaway as to what kind of bird is approaching.?? They are magnificent, especially in the way they ride the air currents, moving in the direction they want to go almost effortlessly even against a headwind.

Once Emily came out to join me so did the Albatross, almost every few minutes one of these gigantic birds soared overhead, looking down with distain at those of us who couldn???t join them in the air and sail out to sea.?? So we sat in the restaurant and had tea while watching the magnificent aerial dance of the albatross as they seemingly performed reconnaissance of the nature center which was set up to allow viewing and protect this colony from too much in the way of mans intervention.

After hanging with the flying birds it was time to see the swimming ones.?? The peninsula is home to two areas where the critically endangered Yellow Eyed Penguins come to roost.?? One of these is set up as a real tourist attraction with stands, informative displays, and a center which takes a hefty bite out of the tourist wallet to visit (and gets busloads of tourists) and the other is the hidden away area called Sandfly Bay.

You can guess which one we opted for.?? Sandfly Bay isn???t a total secret but it takes a bit of an effort to get out there and requires driving along the aptly named High Cliff Road, a narrow winding road that in places seems more like a track along the edge of a cliff than a two lane road.?? Of course the views are spectacular but we made a definite mental note to get back on the road before dark.

There weren???t a lot of people over at the bay, but a slow steady trickle in and out meant that there wasn???t any real solitude.?? It also meant that because of the low volume of people that there wasn???t a ranger or forestry officer working at the sight to keep the idiots away from scaring these very shy creatures and chasing them back to sea.???? When we arrived we found a group of Europeans who ignored all of the signs about not approaching the penguins and viewing from the specially built hide, who had essentially chased the few penguins who were present back into the water or into hiding along the hillside.?? I can???t understand that stupidity, especially when it comes to such endangered creatures which need just a touch of mankind???s respect in order to have a chance at survival.

Eventually the people departed and we climbed into the hide and kept our fingers crossed.?? We waited, and waited, and waited and eventually got to see one of the creatures which had hidden itself in the brush until it felt safe.?? A strange thing happened then, since we were using the hide other people started coming to it as well, so that by the time we left the hide was packed with people waiting for a glimpse of this rare shy creature.?? As we took the long walk down the beach away from the rocky promontory that the penguins favor we kept casting glances over our shoulder hoping to see another of these special creatures.?? Just as we were about to lose our line of sight, a penguin rose from the sea and waddled straight into the brush.?? Ironically from where we were, we could see him (albeit as a distant white dot), but the people in the hide couldn???t.???? It gave us a little bit of a chuckle as we returned to the car.

In town that evening we ran into a lovely German couple and after we cooked dinner we all went into town to a pub called Robert Burns which we were told was the happening place in town.?? Actually the whole town seemed to be happening, Dunedin is filled with music by night and almost every bar/club we happened to pass seemed to have a live band playing and the sounds just filled the streets.

Robert Burns however was the place to be on a Thursday night when an ancient but still breathing jazz band took to the stage.?? These guys were septuagenarians and octogenarians and boy did they love to play, and the music was definitely infectious as was their joy in performing.?? The drinking crowd was 30-40 years younger than the musicians but the place was packed with people who came to hear these guys play.?? There were admirers, genuine fans and serious drinkers in what every Thursday has become the most packed bar in the whole town because these guys were good.

We sampled the beers and sucked down the music for quite a while before moving onto another venue.?? We walked across the street into a musical time warp where it???s still the 80???s (a condition common to almost everywhere in Australia and New Zealand).?? There instead of a jazz band we listened to the worst rock cover band of all time, they were even able to make classic songs by the Beatles, Eagles and others totally unrecognizable until you listened carefully to the lyrics.?? Not that the crowd seemed to mind since the drinks were cheap and everyone was dancing.?? We had fun until the band just got too hard to handle.

Our appreciation of 80???s music may be scarred for life.

We should have known things were going to be a bit odd today right from the moment we picked up our rental car.?? New Zealand has a lot of used rental cars and they tend to be cheap and fairly reliable, so that???s what we planned on renting.?? However when I arrived to pick up the car we had agreed on, it turns out they had mistakenly given it to another couple early in the morning.?? So they gave us a replacement ??? an 11 year old Toyota Camry.?? It didn???t look like much but we had faith that it would get us through.

So with a full tank of gas we set off for the town of Dunedin (pronounced Dune-Eden). There was plenty to see along the way and we were definitely planning on taking the slow road down. As we headed out of town the city rapidly gave way to countryside and small groups of people gave way to large groups of sheep.

Yet in this pastoral setting the traffic was by far worse than anything we had encountered on the North Island.?? It was rather unusual.?? Still the countryside was stunningly beautiful ??? something which we seem to say about everywhere in the country, and that???s because it???s true.

Soon we came to the town of Oamaru which is famous for both its old restored section of waterfront, and for having a colony of Blue Penguins.

The old town is cute and gives a peek into what life a century ago must have been.?? Of course today the cooper???s shop sells used books, and the ships chandlery is a coffee shop, but that???s just gentrification and the modern world.

There are a number of different penguins who visit New Zealand (or live there) and Oamaru is home to a colony of Blue Penguins.?? Even the highways have signs alerting motorists that the little guys cross the road and to be cautious, especially at night.
Night is when the penguins return home from feeding out at sea.?? They return to the rocks to roost overnight and sleep, and as they come out they are greeted by the click of cameras and crowds of gawkers.?? The government has set up a viewing area, education center and research station here.?? And for a mere $30 each you can go in at dusk and wait for the penguins to return from the ocean.

We didn???t do it for a number of reasons.?? The money was a slight concern but the honesty of the local people revealed to us that the season was almost over and that only about 20 penguins were coming back at night now and that the numbers would be dwindling even more as the season advanced.?? Secondly we didn???t wait because we wanted to get to Duneden before dark, and thirdly because a Blue Penguin was sitting on the rocks outside the center already and we could easily see him.

Strangely enough and certainly not as touted is another beach just a mile or two away, which also has penguins, not blue penguins, but the most endangered species in the world, the Yellow Eyed Penguin.?? There are only about 3,000 of them left in the world and they roost here along the coast.?? We were lucky enough to see a pair of them at the viewing station from the hide built by the NZ government so the birds don???t get frightened.?? Unfortunately too many people prefer not to use the hides and the birds get frightened and return to the sea.?? At other times of year that leads to them abandoning their nests (people really are idiots sometimes), but now as the summer ends only a few penguins, those either in the molt or too old or sick to migrate again are really left in the area.

So after a little bit of watching we headed further south to see the Moeraki Boulders.?? According to our map and our book they were something rather special but in all honesty we just didn???t get it.?? There were a number of large almost round boulders sitting in the sand.?? They weren???t particularly large (maybe 4 feet in diameter) or particularly beautiful so we didn???t get what the fuss was about.?? Maybe the fact that these almost round boulders are in the middle of a beach??? Whatever it is, we just didn???t get it.

So after a very brief look at the boulders and a stroll on the beach we got back in the car and moved on to Dunedin.?? We stayed at a charming backpackers/B&B called the Chalet who had an incredibly good kitchen and a lot of nice people.

Over a dinner of lamb chops we had some great conversations with other travelers. ??

Our adventures on the South Island began in earnest today.?? Judging by how hard it was to find accommodations here you???d think it was a rather crowded place, but the South Island has less than 20% (and the North Island has 80%) of the roughly 5 million people in En Zed ??? as they call it.?? The city of Christchurch, which is the largest on the South Island has a population which amounts to 30% of that 1 million.?? Of course that doesn???t take into account the travelers and tourists and there are plenty of both.
If you just dropped into Christchurch from an airplane without knowledge of where you were landing you???d look at the architecture and street names and figure you were somewhere in England or Wales.?? Even the river which runs through the city is called the Avon.?? The city is packed with classic British style buildings including pubs, a former university (which is now an artist colony/center), and plenty of English style churches.?? And it???s hard not to expect churches in a city named Christchurch.

Of course the namesake church is actually a cathedral which oddly enough is in a place called Cathedral Square, which is the heart of the city.?? And that???s the way the original city planners meant it to be ??? a bit of England abroad, filled not only with the right kind of architecture and familiar names, but with the ???right??? kind of people.?? Those who colonized the city originally were required to have a letter of recommendation from their local clergy.

It???s a bit looser today and Christchurch has a certain quiet cosmopolitanism about it today.?? Cathedral Square not only has the cathedral, but huge modern art sculptures, mobile food vendors, a giant chess set for the use of the public and even buskers and soapbox philosophers (one of whom is said to be quite mad) who manage to share the space.

Four main streets radiate from the square (ostensibly I suppose so that it forms a cross) and it was down one of the charming, very English looking streets that we headed after taking in the square.?? While at first the streets are very English looking, the style is very much an amalgam between the original colonist???s home country and modern New Zealand.

We headed down to the local botanic gardens which have a number of remarkable features.?? One of the strangest was a UFO looking house made back in the 60s as a cheap mass produced, environmentally friendly home of the future.?? They actually were made in large numbers and for quite a while you could find them in some places in the world.?? Not too many of them still exist and in the park they had one on display where you could go on in and check it out.?? It was pretty cool.

There were a couple of other features which we liked.?? One of which was the Peace Bell ??? a gift to the people of New Zealand from Japan and created from melted down coins from all over the world.?? It???s supposed to be rung once a year to help promote world peace.?? The other thing we really loved was the nature center in the park next to several ponds full of waterfowl.

We had sushi for dinner but New Zealand has some strange sushi.?? Things like canned tuna on rice, chicken teriyaki rolls, and deep fried crab stick.?? The salmon was pretty good though.

After a morning of unsuccessful fishing where the fish tormented me by swimming on by as I cast, we jumped in the car and headed north back to Auckland.?? Not because we were really feeling all that done with the North Island, but because we had booked our tickets for today and needed to head down south to the island we were told would be the highlight of the New Zealand leg of our trip.

And so we did.?? We arrived at 10pm in Christchurch and were dropped off at a rather unpleasant backpackers called Cokers where we had booked a room.?? It wasn???t that we wanted to stay here but we had called 20+ places in Christchurch for a reservation and had found nothing but this place.

It was in an old hotel from the last century and it was just cram packed with young travelers and aspects of it, including the kitchen were so foul that the idea of preparing a meal there to save a few bucks didn???t even cross our mind.?? However the room was adequately clean and it was the only place we could find.

Since the kitchen was out as an option we headed out to see what the heart of Christchurch had to offer for food.?? Maybe it was the hour but the offerings were pretty poor unless your tastes leaned heavily to fast food or Asian take out (which still seems a little silly since we spent so much time in Asia).

Well there is always tomorrow.

The hostel in Turangi is definitely a pretty nice place to spend some time.?? A big open courtyard, good lounge and friendly space definitely make it a fairly comfortable place to spend a little bit of time.?? A nice clean room and a double bed contribute to that, so it???s no surprise we slept in.

After getting a fishing license and some advice we set out in the car.?? Our final destination was going to be the Tongariro River, a legendary trout stream, but before that was to come about we went looking for the Sunday morning market ??? something which was prominently advertised on the hostel???s notice board.

Yet despite the map and directions we couldn???t find the thing, and Turangi isn???t exactly a large town.?? Apparently they???ve decided that the market just didn???t have enough business to run every week and now it???s only once a month.?? Of course that notice hadn???t gone out to most of the locals and the sign we had seen gave no indication of that fact.

So we headed out to try a little fishing in the town that bills itself as the trout fishing capital of the world.

The gentleman at the fly shop had made a couple of suggestions as to good spots and marked them for us on a map.?? He had also cautioned us that there hadn???t been much in the way of action lately.?? Still we went out, Emily armed with her book, and me armed with my fly rod and a sense of optimism.

Of course optimism isn???t as good as a nice fishing hole where the current is easy and the water uniform in depth and full of fish.?? This wasn???t like anyplace I had ever fished.?? The water was deep, even very deep in places and often very fast.?? I just kept on moving, looking for a spot which suited me.

That didn???t stop me from enjoying the scenery and working on my casting.?? That???s the beauty of fly fishing, it???s not really about the catching of fish, but about the casting and the art of wielding the fly.?? Still in the back of every fisherman???s heart is the small itch which calls out for validation with the occasional fish.?? So I wandered slowly up the river and left Emily reading her book on the bank near a pool which had seemed promising up until I actually reached it.
The fame of the Tongariro River is pretty well known, especially among fishermen and as I moved up into a nice and promising pool, another fisherman jumped down from the trail and beat me into the pool by seconds.?? Not only did he come in like a ton of bricks and spook the fish, but he did it quickly because he could see me headed there from downstream.

Needless to say I was a bit annoyed.?? Yet since the pool was a small one and the fish almost certainly scared off their feed I just passed by and continued upstream. ??The water here didn???t look all that good.?? It was shallow, fast and didn???t possess any holes or pools which looked likely to hold fish.?? Still I kept casting.

It???s funny but somewhere along the way I became a fly fisher, and I did it with the light outfit which is supposed to be the harder one to master.?? Today for the first time I hit that zone athletes talk about.?? My casting was controlled and fluid.?? It just seemed that I could put the fly exactly where I wanted it to be time and again.?? That fluid motion which always escaped me before now just seemed to come naturally.

And I enjoyed it, somehow it was just a pleasurable sensation which teased me to take it to the next level, and then the next, and the next.?? Soon I was laying my fly perfectly next to a rock alongside the bank, then next to a root complex from a tree, then over a big rock at mid stream and then next to a half submerged tree in the shallows.
That of course is when it happened, I placed the fly just where I wanted it into the drift by the tree and a trout, a very large trout, darted out from the submerged branches and sucked in the fly.

I was startled, even dazed, the idea of catching a fish had honestly fled my mind in the Zen of my casting.?? I wasn???t quite aware of what I was doing when I lifted my rod tip, at least not until the line throbbed and the trout took off downstream.

Happily I had enough sense to keep the tension on the line as the fish peeled off with 20 yards of fly line.?? Then I turned him.?? For the next 10 minutes or so I fought with what I could see was a beautiful rainbow trout.?? Several times I thought he was going to dive into the branches of a submerged tree or wrap my line about a rock, but at every instance I had just enough power to turn him away.

Eventually it became a contest between his strength and my adrenaline and nerves, since I had never caught a trout this size on a fly.?? And eventually I won.?? He was just a shade over 24 inches and from what I was told he was the only trout caught on the river all day.

He made a delicious dinner with enough to share with fellow travelers.