Sunday 31 January 2016

New Zealand to Australia - Goodbye, but Helllooo!

My fight arrives on time and is full but 2 seats, one of which is between me and an older Aussie guy.  A few more minute wait and score me! One of the vacant seats is the one between us.  This gives me great opening for conversation with the Aussie guy.

Over the next 10 minutes we talk about his travels to Canada back in the 1970's  He had some cool stories and knew the road I lived on.  I showed him a few pictures of my old house and he tells me, there wasn't very many houses on the road back then.  Small world though!

My luck got even better.  Just before we take off, the older Aussie guy got promoted to 1st class.  I now have all 3 seats to myself.  The extra room makes the 4 hour flight just fly bye!  We even landed 30 minutes earlier than expected. Life is great!

Here is my last picture of New Zealand!  Bye NZ, I hope we meet again.


Hello Australia!


With such an uneventful fast flight, I had a bad feeling customs might not be as easy.  As I am walking up to the lines, I see we are being separated by people with electronic chips in their passports and the people who don't.  Mine doesn't have a chip and that line has 2 people in it.  Score me again!  I go directly to the customs lady.

Within seconds of her taking my passports, she pulls me aside, where there are two other guards.  My first thought is, here we go, life was too easy.

I ask her if there is an issue I can help with, and she promptly tells me to wait.

Another minute goes by and the two security guards are smiling at me.  This either means they are happy to get a chance to see in my anal cavity, or they are laughing at her.  Please do not be number 1.

She then gives me my passport back and wishes me a nice day.  So again I ask her what was the issue.  She then tells me my passport is missing my middle name.  I look at it and tell her I am confused, it is right here.  She looks confused and says, have a  nice day.

I now know, the guards were laughing at her.

I am now through customs, and can see Australia... it is just past the last bag check.

On my form, I declared fresh fruit, as I have a can of fruit with a label that says, "Fresh Fruit".  I know this isn't what they mean, but I do not want any more issues.

The fresh fruit, bio-hazard check line is empty, and the line with people who declared nothing is full.  I am first in line again.  Hehehe!

The guard asks what fresh fruit I have and I tell him with a serious smile.

He says, "fresh fruit in  can!"

"Yes!"

"Go on!"

I am through... I am here. I am officially in Australia.

Casey you can't call border patrol on me it is too late!

Saturday 30 January 2016

Greymouth - Christchurch - Trains Trains Trains

My car rental drop off is at the train station, which is extremely convenient and only a short wait until I board the train.  While waiting I took some pictures of Greymouth.  I really like this town.



The train arrives and I board.



The train  ride was about 5 hours long, and not really much to mention about the ride, other than the views.  I am very happy I did Arthur's Pass this way as the train slows down often to allow you to take pictures and enjoy the views.



I arrived Christchurch on time and head over to the Jailhouse Hostel.  This is a retired jailhouse which was converted into a hostel, but they kept it as authentic as possible.

Some pictures of the hostel.



That evening, I met my roommate, Max.  He is a young German guy, and about the nicest outgoing guy I have ever met.  From the minute he walked into the room, until the next day when we said goodbye.  He was always smiling, and just gave off this happy good vibe.  The type that makes it impossible to be unhappy when he is around.

I know Max will have an amazing time travelling.

The next morning, while wasting sometime waiting for my flight to Australia, I met a Chris.  Chris is a 31 year old American, living in China.  He is a principal at one of the high schools in Shanghai.  Chris and I got along great and we ended up spending the entire time together and with some good luck, even our flights leave at the same time, and gates are beside each other.

I really enjoyed meeting Chris and hearing about living in China.  I had a million questions for him and learned a lot.  He also gave me great advice about getting a teaching license.  I have been interested in teaching English in Vietnam or Thailand.

A short bit before our flights depart, I say goodbye to Chris and thanked him for keeping me company.

Below I have added some pictures of the container mall now in Christchurch.  I didn't get a chance to post them earlier.



Next posting will be about leaving NZ and arriving in Australia.

Friday 29 January 2016

Christchurch - Greymouth - Who drives on the left?

A while back one of the backpacker's I met, told me about car relocation rentals.  These are rental cars that were left in a different location than they were rented.  Rental agencies sometimes rent them at a discount, if you are willing to relocate them back.

Searching online I found a website claiming to find them and they just so happened to have some going to Greymouth.  Exactly where I wanted to go, and at 1 dollar a day rental.  http://www.imoova.com/

I took the chance and booked the car. About 1 hour later I got the confirmation email stating where to pick it up.

Fast forward a day and I am at Thrifty car rentals getting my car.  Its a new ford, with a 6 speed standard.



The first thing I noticed when I opened the door to get in, was I was on the wrong side of the car.  I quickly toss my bag on the seat, acting like I met to open this door.  I then casually walk around to the right side and get in.

I adjust the seat, while hitting my head a few times.  I think a tall midget and a Chinese person was the last to drive it.  Anyways, I get the car started, find 1st gear and I am off.  So far, I made it around the first round about without anyone beeping at me for driving on the wrong side of the road.

As I approach the first intersection, I turn on my signal lights and see the wipers start moving.  Yes, those are on the opposite side.  I eventually signal as I am completing my right turn.  At least I found them, right?

Over the next 3 hours, I get my Bluetooth connected, radio on and have a rather uneventful drive.

Somethings my friends from home will love to hear about driving in New Zealand.

All roads are 100 KM/H unless you are in the city.  Even though you cannot reach 60 KM/H on a lot of roads, you can still drive 100.  I love this.  However, if you go more than 4 over, you will get a ticket.

Another thing is they do not stop for pedestrians.  If you are walking near a car, you better move.  They will hit you, as I found out several times.

My first stop is at Oamaru to see the cute little Blue Penguins.

I should have done a little more planning because the cute little Blue Penguins are hard to see unless you are there at night or early morning.  Good news is there are 3 on land that I get to see.  I also get to see their homes and some lazy ass seals.

They have signs everywhere stating no pictures and I see they are very serious, as I just noticed an employee watching me and cameras everywhere, but I was able to sneak a few.  The dark one is inside his little home.  He was sleeping.



Online picture of what I could see.


My next stop is going to be in Haast on the West coast.  The drive to Haast was uneventful, but has some really awesome pictures, as you can see below.

A Dam,



Me!  Mister Awesome!


Randoms



I arrived in Haast around 7 pm and checked into Haast Lodge Backpackers & Motor Park.

As I was checking in, guess who was standing there.  The 2 USA girls from New Years eve.  I was very happy, because this is my chance to apologize for how that night ended.  The one girl saw me first and said hi right away, the other girl pretty much avoided me, but did say hi.  However, I didn't get my chance to say much right there, because the owner was checking me in.  The bad news is, I tried to find them before I left the next day, with no success.  So I didn't get a chance to redeem myself.

I did have some great luck that night.  When I entered my room, the 3 other backpackers were not there.  Sometime around midnight they arrived at the hostel and decided they wanted a private room, and got one.  I ended up getting a 4 person dorm to myself.  Nice!

The next day I left the hostel early and headed down the road to find a nice place to eat breakfast.  This is where I ate my sandwich and had a ice coffee.






My next stop would be Fox Glacier.  You can't see the glacier from the town, but a 5 minute drive down a back road, you get these nice views.  I stayed at the view point for about 20 minutes just enjoying it!



The views of Fox Glacier were pretty amazing, but I have to add this one picture of a beffed up cow that was standing along the road.



On my way out of Fox Glacier, I see a hitchhiker and I must pick him up.  I made this decision the day I got the rental car, that I would pick up every person I saw.  I have been picked up so many times, it's time to pay back.

Trek is a 21 year old male from Japan and has been traveling around New Zealand for 7 months, often sleeping under bridges and has only used hitchhiking as his means of travel.  He has a very limited budget and didn't want that to stop him from seeing New Zealand.

Trek behind me! :) Sneaky pic.


Trek is a funny guy, and has 100 questions about me.  Where am I from, what is Canada like, should he work and travel the rest of his life, or get married, etc.  But the questions are welcomed and I enjoy our time together.

Shortly after picking him up, I see another hitchhiker and pull over to get her.

Lina is a 23 year old girl from Belgium.  She has only been in New Zealand about 3 weeks and is loving it, but mentions several times, she is missing home and is not sure if travelling is for her.  I give Lina a few really good suggestions on how to make it more fun and how to get out of her shell.

One of my biggest suggestions is working for accommodation.  I told her about my experience in Hahei and how it felt so good to be in one place for a few weeks.

Less than an hour down the road is a campsite Lina wants to be dropped off at.  She isn't sure how much it cost, so I told her we would wait and if she doesn't want to stay, she can just hop back in and carry on with us until we find a good place.



The place was owned by a bunch of x bikers who were really rude.  Lina didn't feel welcome so she continued on with us.  I have to say, I was a little surprised at how they acted.  My experience with bikers has never been like this.

Another 15 minutes down the road is a freedom campground that Lina loves.  It is on a lake and has lots of people her age.

Trek and I say goodbye to Lina and wish her the best in New Zealand.

It is another hour until we reach Greymouth, and our first stop is at the iSite.  This is where Trek decides he wants to depart.  My hostel for the night is also across the street.

Trek and I say goodbye, and I wish him the best of luck.  I know Trek will have a great life, because this kind deserve it.

At the hostel I decided take a dorm room for less than 1/3 the price of a private.  The dorm room has 4 beds, and I am the first to arrive.  Bottom bunk for me!

Later that day my only roommate arrives.  His name is Ian and he is a 36 year old Chinese commercial pilot. He currently is flying for Air China and is in New Zealand for 3 days, while he waits for his next flight.  A very nice break from flying.

Ian and I have a great conversation about flying and traveling around New Zealand.

Just before bed, I say goodnight and goodbye as Ian is leaving at 6 am, and I will be in dreamland.

Sleepy time!


Thursday 28 January 2016

kaikoura - Bunk Beds! Sad earthquake pictures.

Kaikoura is a beautiful town, but I arrived on a rainy day, and the rain didn't stop until I left the next day.  However, I still enjoyed my stay.

This is going to be my first night sleeping in a dorm style room.  This means sharing a room, possibly even a bunk bed with other people.  If you know me, this is not my thing and a long ways out of my comfort zone.

When I entered the room, I saw 3 beds and one bunk bed.  Yupp! I got the bottom bunk.  Thank God! There is no way I would climb those stairs at night or in the morning to get out of bed.  There was only one person in the room at the moment, a young German guy.  I would class this guy as a hippy.  I tried striking up a conversation with him, but it didn't go anywhere as his English was horrible.  No big deal.  A few minutes later a really cute young girl walked into room, about the same time the German guy left.  Another chance at meeting a new person and she is fun to look at.

So, I say hi and asked her how long she has been in Kaikoura.  I quickly pick up her funny, but familiar accent.  She is Canadian, from Ontario, but living in Banff.  I don't remember her name though.  I will just reference her as 'Little Red'.  Over the next 18 hours we have some really awesome conversations, ranging from Canada, to living the good life, traveling.  She is really nice and also reassures me that sleeping in a dorm is cool.  Most people are considerate and try not to annoy others.

After chatting with Little Red, I go for a walk in the rain enjoying the small friendly town.  I can't see much, as there is a lot of fog.  I do see one thing, Mac's Brewery.  Oh Yes! I want some tasters.




The tasty beers go down great, but I restrain myself from having more and head back to the hostel.

When I get to my room, Little Red is not there, so I just brush my teeth and jump into my bottom bunk.  Currently in the room there is the Hippy German, and 2 Chinese.  A guy and girl.

With some help of my beer, I quickly fall asleep.

Now that I have my first night in a bunk bed checked off, I don't know why I was avoiding it.  It is 1/3 the price and not that bad.

My bus isn't until 4 pm, so I decided to just hang out at the hostel, since it is raining.  While waiting, I started talking with an older couple from the UK.  I don' recall their names either, but they are pretty nice.  The guy tells me all about his favorite hostel not far from my next stop.  I take some notes in case I get a chance to go there.

They also mentioned they have a daughter, so I mention I am single.  They then reminded me they already told me she is married.  I then politely ask if she has a daughter.  Nope! Was worth the try.

It starts to let up, and I am getting hungry.  They tell me about a very good fish and chip shop, with freshly caught fish.  Mmmmm! I am in and head down the hill.

They were totally correct, the fish is awesome.  For only 7 dollars, I got 4 rather large peaces of Blue Code.



I eat, smile and head back to the hostel.

Just before 4 pm, I see Little Red, and say goodbye.  I also see the UK couple and say goodbye as well.

The bus to Christchurch went by fast.  It was only 2 hours or so.



Back 4 or 5 years ago, Christchurch had two large earthquakes, and the damage is still evident.  I saw some major cracks in the streets that were caused from the second one.  A lot of historical buildings are still being restored.  Below is a picture of one from my walk to the next hostel and a new building, being constructed out of containers.



The hostel here was really different.  It is a loft, with a kitchen and living room on the second floor, and the third floor is a bathroom with two rooms.  My room has 3 beds in it.  Very tight.  This room is smaller than my last bedroom back home.

Anyways, my night here was good as well.  I am getting more comfortable with sleeping near other people.

While watching some Kiwi cop show, an older Kiwi couple told me all about the earthquakes and how some of the people died.  Some really sad stories.  One I will never forget is about the CTV News station that collapse killing 16 people.  He actually had details on how it fell.

His stories were really good reminders to love life, and to do what makes you happy.  I needed this reminder.  I was starting to go places just to see them, and not because I wanted too.  You'll see soon, my plans change.

Back to my story.

Just before bed, a young German girl, Sophia was in her bed about to sleep and her and I started chatting.  We ended up talking for almost an hour about Canada.  She wanted to know everything.  From the animals, to the distance between towns, the landscape.  She told me over and over, she wants to come to Canada so badly, but didn't get the visa and will try again next year.

Our conversation stopped when a young German guy, Rob, came into the room and Sophia told him his shoes stink.  It was actually mine and his. lol..

The 3 of us talk for another 30 minutes and then we decided to shut off the lights and go to sleep.

The next morning I was leaving early and only had a chance to say goodbye to Rob.  I wish I could have said goodbye to Sophia.  She was such a good person to chat with.

My next adventure is relocating a car from Christchurch to Greymouth.

Tuesday 26 January 2016

Rotorua - Planes, Ferries, and Me

Kind of a cool story about randomly meeting the same person, so I wanted to add it here before the pretty pictures below.



When I was working in Hahei as a sexy stripper maid, I met a cute Texas girl named Darcie.  We only spoke a few short times, but decided to exchange contact information, in hopes we would see each other again, early the next week in Wellington.

Well, 2 days later, I took a 4 hour bus ride to Rotorua.  When I got there, I walked to a random hostel, and guess who is standing there.  Darcie!  I was so surprised I had no idea what to say.

Well, we ended up hanging out for 2 hours while she waited for her bus to somewhere.  I dunno.

Fast forward 2 more days, I am arriving in Wellington late and on a different day than I had said.  I get to my hostel and decided to text Darcie and tell her we won't be meeting in Wellington, but guess what.  She is in the same hostel in the room across from me. Again, what an amazing surprise.  That night we just hung out and play some games in free area. :)

Below is Darcie cheating at Man size, Connect 4.




Enough about Darcie the cheater!

You already know I took a bus from Hahei to Rotorua and it wasn't all that exciting.

From Rotorua, I flew down to Wellington.  Was a nice short flight, about 55 minutes.  Again, nothing exciting, but some amazing views from the air.

Some below for your viewing pleasure.




I only stayed in Wellington 1 night.  It is just another city the same as the rest.

However, the ferry from Wellington to Picton (South Island) was awesome.  It was raining on and off, but still got some great viewing.

From Picton, I took another bus Kaikoura.  The bus ride went fast, as I fell in and out of sleep.  Woke up long enough to take some pictures. :)