Giddy-up!

This past weekend I drove up the coast to watch another of the great New Zealand annual events: the rodeo (pronounced row-day-o here). Located in the very unassuming town of Urenui, approximately 90km north of my home town of Hawera, it’s not a place I’d thought capable of handling such an event. I was wrong. Donned in my cowboy boots and jeans, Jason and I arrived around 1pm, just as the grand events were getting under way. What appeared to be a small showplace situated behind some houses, the venue actually featured long tiers of grass seating (or dirt as the case was on this day due to extremely hot temperatures on the preceding days) situated around a small arena. With a large screen television housed high above the crowd to catch the close-ups, we watched for hours, mesmerized by bull-riding, barrel racing, calf roping, horse-bucking, and a variety of cowboy hat clad audience members. Amazingly, this was the event of the weekend, evidenced by a few 1000 people who had come with chilly bins, blankets, and umbrellas in tow to watch family and friends ride for their 15 seconds of glory. Just reminds me never to assume anything about New Zealand.

Penultimate Vacation

Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve updated the blog. Truthfully, I’ve been avoiding re-entering reality after completion of my most recent trip of a lifetime: a two week ticki-tour of the South Island with my family. Something I lovingly refer to as the Kloss Family Reunion 2007.

In reality, this was meant to be the final run through the country before I headed back to the states after my stint in New Zealand. As most of you know, that plan has gone by the wayside with my decision to extend my contract for another six months…and possibly more. That’s a discussion for another time, I digress.

Okay, getting back to the trip. It’s hard to summarize two weeks of experiences that involved a vast array of activities and very little cost to me (thanks mom and dad!), but I’ll do my best. We started in Wellington for a few days tour of the capital city, hitting the botanical gardens in perfect bloom and the national museum, Te Papa, a six level building that would easily take one six days to get through. After letting my brother relive his childhood fantasies on the bungy swing, we then crossed Cook Strait by ferry (gratefully over calm waters) to arrive in Blenheim. In the heart of Marlborough wine region we enjoyed the vineyards, and products thereof, by bike tour, finishing our stay with a five course “degustation” meal at Herzog Winery. Next we headed northwest to Nelson, the sunniest place in New Zealand, for some sea kayaking in Abel Tasman National park. The weather did not disappoint. After packing up the gear, we headed south down the West Coast and landed on Franz Joseph Glazier, literally, for a heli-hike on the ice. Reputed as the closest glacier to the sea, our guide took us all over the glacier seeking out the best caves and crevasses. Later in the afternoon, we took advantage of the surf proximity, and headed to the beach. Fabulous! Taking a turn Southeast over the Remarkables Range, we drove into Queenstown. Touted as the vacation spot in New Zealand, it also proved the closest in resemblance to an American tourist location with multi-national accents, tourist’s shops, and lots of backpacker hostels. Despite its seeming drawbacks, my mom managed to secure a lovely accommodation overlooking Lake Wanaka, just a 15 minute walk from town that passed straight through the peninsula park and rose garden. It was a nice break to be out of the car for a few days and get some fresh air. During our four day stay in Queenstown, we took a side trip down to Milford Sound for an overnight cruise. Claimed as the 8th Wonder of the World, it’s actually a misnomer and should more properly be called a fiord. Regardless of the name, it provided some gorgeous waterfall viewing, even if I was eaten alive by the sand flies! Unfortunately, the bad weather prevented our intended fly-out, requiring another 5 hour bus trip back to Queenstown, all be it with some colourful commentary by the driver. Our trip then took us across the Central Otago region to the East Coast and Christchurch for a final two nights in the South Island. Having been there before and seen many of the historic sites, I took the opportunity to do a favored activity: retail therapy. With a multitude of spending opportunities, I had to be cognizant of the 20kg luggage weight limit on the flight back. We also took a morning to explore the International Antarctic Center. A fantastic display detailing the research center in the southernmost place on Earth, it provided a fantastic array of interactive displays, a chance to be in an Antarctic snowstorm, and a look at some blue penguins. It was well worth the NZ$30 price tag. The final leg of the trip took us up to the North Island for a one night stay in my hometown of Hawera, a basic meal of lamb burgers, and some rugby viewing.

Without saying too much more, all I can relay is that this trip was fantastic! I have now officially seen more of New Zealand then most natives. I can only imagine what my “ultimate” vacation will be.