On Wednesday, 24th of September I rode on to Nugget Point and visited the light house at the end. From there I went to Cannibal Bay and rode up the beach where I saw a Sea Lion.
Next I visited famous Purakaunui Falls, one of the most photographed waterfalls in New Zealand.
After a short stop at Lake Wilkie I continued to Curio Bay. Curio Bay is famous for its ancient fossil forest remains from 180 million years ago and endangered yellow-eyed penguins. That night I arrived just in time to see the penguins and the next morning I went back out to explore the fossil forest.
After I finished packing up my gear I headed off to the most southerly point on the South Island - Slope Point. Finally, I finished my tour of the Catlins at Fortrose. When I arrived the tide was out and the remnants of an old shipwreck were accessible on foot.
Back on the bike I stopped in Invercargill and then headed over to a relatively close freedom campground called Dunsdale.
The wide open field all to myself, I enjoyed stargazing at night and a variety of bird life during the day. At night the only sounds that could be heard were the wind in the distance and a slight trickling of water from the stream.With toilets, water and a short walking track, Dunsdale Reserve was the clear choice for my next few nights of camping.
After the meeting on Sunday, 22nd of September I tried going to Tunnel Beach, but it was closed for lambing so I went to Allan's Beach - a place that I had heard about on the road. It was a bit of a drive out onto the Otago Peninsula down some gravel and dirt roads but it was pretty well worth it for the views.
Back in town I rode my bike up and down Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world. After that I headed to Mt Cargill to see the Organ Pipes.
The Organ Pipes are a prominent formation of columnar jointed basalt - a result of rapidly cooling and fracturing lava flows, common around the world in places such as Boyabat, Turkey and the Giants Causeway in Ireland.
The next day I headed for the Catlins and stayed at Hill View Camp where we were greeted by a friendly farmer and his 1.5 horses - the smaller one aptly named Little Sebastian.
Hill View Camp is one of very few places where they acknowledge the price gauging in what has become the New Zealand campsite industry. Instead of charging hostel prices of over $20 for a patch of grass they offer an actual cabin for that price or a patch of grass for $5. The other traveling Americans that I met there were equally impressed and we happily paid the price and even donated a bit extra to help out with the new cabin project.
On Saturday, 21st of September I went to the Port Chalmers Seafood Festival just out of Dunedin where I was expecting to see some friends from Cheeseman. I tried fried cheese and went to a couple cooking shows where we were given tasty samples and some good ideas such as simply cooking with heaps of fresh ingredients.
After meeting up with Erin and Sylvie we went to watch a few musical performances and had some more treats from the surrounding venues.
On Friday, 20th of September I walked around Oamaru with Frank looking at the Victorian street art and after a visit to the Oamaru lookout I continued riding.
On the way to Dunedin I stopped to see the Moeraki Boulders - a bunch of concretions formed of limestone around pebbles and shells similarly to the way a pearl is formed of secretions around sand.
On Thursday, 19th of September I left for Oamaru. On the way I stopped to see the Clay Cliffs but missed a turn and ended up at the Quailburn Woolshed. I walked into the old, dilapidated place just as a bird went crashing through the window - almost a hundred years after the place was built.
Next I stopped at the Takiroa Rock Art Site and saw paintings which, after about 200 years, were hard to make out. After arriving in Oamaru I met with Frank who showed me around town.
On Tuesday, September 17th I rode from Christchurch to a rest stop after Fairlie. As the sun was beginning to set I decided to stop there and camp out behind some trees.
The next day I went to Lake Tekapo, Mt John and Mt Cook.
After a walk through Hooker Valley I continued to Lake Ohau where I camped out for the night.
On Sunday, the 15th of September everyone at Cheeseman packed up and left. I went back to Leanne and Arthur's in Christchurch and the next day I went for a ride on my motorcycle to Godley Head.
Later that day I did an oil change on my bike and went to Flying Burrito Brothers for the last Cheeseman staff meeting.
On Tuesday, July 2nd Mike from Cheeseman Ski Resort came to pick me up in one of the company vehicles and, after doing the first supply run across town, we headed to the mountain.
Cheeseman is a club field; this means that, like a credit union, all profits go into improving the product. As a result of this business model the staff and patrons reap some pretty awesome benefits. The staff in particular enjoy accommodation, food, ski pass and even gear, if needed, all for free. Overall, the mountain has a very familial feel and everyone enjoys good value and generally nonexistent lift queues. For me, the benefits continued as my position afforded me with, not only the time to enjoy it all, but also the most enviable accommodation on the mountain. Aside from having my own room with a king sized bed and private staff quarters all to myself, my accommodation in Forest Lodge had the added benefit of being somewhat removed. Just a few minutes down the mountain from the harsh weather and general goings on up at Snowline Lodge, Forest Lodge is a private, quiet and generally a more relaxed atmosphere. Forest Lodge also has a good number of diversions nearby such as walking tracks, world class climbing/bouldering and a skating rink.
On the way up Mike, a member of Cheeseman staff since birth, named off the sections of road as used by the mountain for describing one's location.
First we climbed Chisms Cunning and continued across Alcohol Avenue onto Texas Flat. As we climbed the mountain we went around Big Bend, passed by Forest Lodge, Fat Jimmy's, around Land Rover Corner, passed Middle Hut and then, finally, we arrived at Snowline. Of course, many of these places have a bit of a story to them; Fat Jimmy's, for example, was where James the grader driver went over the edge and survived only because he wasn't wearing his seat-belt and was flung from the vehicle before it rolled perilously down the mountain.
After we arrived at Snowline everyone went to work and, after four hours, managed to set things up for the start of the season. A large snow storm, which preceded our arrival, made for very optimistic conditions but still required some preparation. Over the following days we did Avalanche and Beacon Training and attempted some preseason skiing on "snow", now ice, which was yet to be groomed. We also enjoyed food prepared by a highly qualified chef while waiting for the cook who would be making our food for the remainder of the season.
On Saturday, the 6th of July, the mountain opened for the season and I received my first guests in Forest Lodge. At first I had one other staff member staying there, an instructor named Justin, who seemed alright but managed to get into an argument with management before long and was fired. I still had some friends to hang out with over the season, specifically Josh - an engineer who had managed his investments so that he would be able to ski year round and potentially never have to work again. Josh made an agreement with Cheeseman, the first in the history of the club, so that he could stay at Forest Lodge for the duration of the season. We had a few that came for as a long as a month and we would invite them to join us for TV marathons and general hanging out in the evenings.
On July 11th I returned from my weekly supply run to Christchurch and found we had some guests. The West Coast Curling Team was around for the first of several regular practice sessions which they borrowed the skating rink for. These old fellas were a funny bunch; they would show up in their full Scottish regalia, including kilts, patches and orange wigs, put on a massive BBQ and start playing what is probably the most unusual game you've ever seen. For those who don't know (most people I reckon) Curling is this game where you chuck a stone across the ice and someone else on your team sweeps the ice with a broom in order to decrease friction so that the stone will go far enough to stop in the middle of a group of concentric rings. Of course, sweeping only occurs when the stone isn't thrown hard enough to go the full distance. As strange as it is, Curling is actually a pretty fun and addictive game as well as a good way to get all your buddies out in the cold for a BBQ in the middle of Winter.
On July 14th, the mountain was closed by a storm. During this closure the ski patrol unit set off some explosives to create controlled avalanches in order to make the slopes safer for skiing. During this process one of the guys accidentally set off an avalanche while checking the stability of the snow. He slid several hundred metres and managed to land himself scraped and bruised with only a minor sprain.
In the last couple weeks of July I got sick and lost my voice, a large group came to party and a kid got sick in his room and a possum forced his way into the lodge while I was sleeping.
August 25th I took my first and only day off to go snowboarding at Broken River where the snow was a bit deeper and a few days later we got a big snow storm which improved conditions throughout Arthur's Pass.
In the first week of September I finally shaved my beard as well as my head.
A couple days later was the Undie 500, a race down the mountain with small challenges like bombing the steepest run and eating a dry weetbix. The next day the mountain closed and we all spent the last few days hanging out in the lodge and eating up the rest of the food.
Before leaving we had a day climbing at Castle Hill and went over to Cave Stream - another must see in Arthur's Pass.
After the meeting on Sunday, June 30th Arthur and Leanne took me to the Sign of the Kiwi which overlooks the entire city from up in the hills.
After a snow fight we headed off down to Lyttleton and had some ice cream.
The next day I met with staff from Cheeseman at the Twisted Hop Brewery where we discussed the upcoming season and discussed my duties as Forest Lodge Caretaker which I would be taking on the following day.
On Saturday, June 29th I woke up and hiked to my bike with all my gear. After arriving at the ferry a bit tired and hungry I found that it had actually been delayed two hours. For a while I sat in the terminal talking with a German dude then waited out on my bike talking to two kiwi army guys. Finally, we boarded and I spent the next three or so hours playing card games with a bunch of kiwis who live on an island in Thailand.
My arrival on the South Island was refreshing but my journey would not be an easy one. I immediately lost my sleeping bag (and found it) and further down the road my battery cover went as well. This, along with a loud whining sound, was probably due to a very steep hill which I sped down, causing excessive vibration, as my little 250cc reached over 120km in a foolish attempt to see how fast it would go.
This, of course, was just the beginning. Even though I now had extra insulation from my sleeping bag tucked in between my chest and front pack, I soon found myself going numb and experiencing intense pain in all my limbs as a result.
Soon after stopping to see the seals at Ohao Point, I ran out of petrol. With no idea how much further it would be to the next town I switched to reserve and rode for what felt like hours. As I was losing all hope of ever reaching civilization, I arrived at an outpost of Christchurch. Laughing aloud with a surreal sense of relief, I puttered up and filled my tank.
That night I arrived at the home of Leanne and Arthur, had a hot meal and gratefully thawed out on the couch. Never again would I underestimate the distances of the South Island... ok well, maybe a couple times.
On June 21st we returned to Hamilton for a conference over the weekend. A few days later we returned and over the next few days I worked and saw everyone a few more times, even Aaron from up in Waikanei. On my last day Raj bought us a mountain of fish and chips and I prepared for the next leg of my journey...
Over the past weeks I've been working for Raj, taking invigorating showers with the garden hose and living in my cabin on the hill. Raj has found many uses for his new assistant, things such as: cold calling customers, cutting up car tyres, working on his website, picking up customer cars and anything else he can come up with for me to do.
On June 1st I enjoyed a two day conference in Feilding then picked the bike up for the last time - I am now the proud owner of a 2004 Suzuki GN 250.
After checking on my old campsite on the Oroara and visiting Fiona in Woodville, I rode to Waikanae to visit Aaron and then back to Wellington the morning after that.
On June 8th we had the third and final farewell for Mike at an Indian Restaurant; the previous one had been at Thai Chef. On the 10th I bought my tickets for the inter-islander ferry to Picton (South Island) and about a couple weeks later we had a big storm hit which tested the stability of my cabin. Fortunately for me James is a pretty experienced carpenter and, aside from the rocking sensation of being on a boat, the cabin held firm.
Over the last couple days I had to work and Anita spent time at the meeting hall. Today I met up with Anita for her last day in Wellington. We took the cable car, had some tasty Cambodian food for lunch at a restaurant called Siem Reap and went to the Wellington Zoo.
Today Anita and I went to the highly recommended Museum Hotel where we saw a variety of paintings; some creative or otherwise quirky and humorous abstracts and others clever depictions of New Zealand's social and political environment.
On May 15th my friend Anita, who I flatted with in Brisbane, arrived from Melbourne to visit. She was surprisingly keen to try out the lifestyle I had in my little shack on the hill and even gave my cold garden hose shower a go the next day before we left for the Te Papa Museum. Te Papa had many things to illustrate the biological, geographical and even social changes in New Zealand's history but, for me at least, the main attraction was the Collosal Squid - the only one in the world on display in a museum.
On May 11th I had been in Auckland for a couple days meeting up with a few others from Wellington. This day we went to Auckland's Sky Tower followed by the Auckland Museum where we spent some time looking at several artifacts from New Zealand's native and colonial history.
The next day we went sailing on a old sailing ship/museum.
After returning we stopped in at the Maritime Museum then went to Mission Bay before having dinner and finally flying back to Wellington.
On April 22nd James and I left for Whangerei in a hurry... it seems we were on a schedule. When we arrived on James' property in Helena Bay we set up camp, I set some traps, we moved the hose for the water supply up to our site and made a fire as best we could with the weathered wood.
The next day I caught a possum and we hiked to the top of the property and took in the view.
Later, the bulldozer arrived and we did some earthworks with that.
That evening we set up a tub that James had bought on the way up and lit a fire under it in order to have hot baths. This is apparently a very "kiwi" thing to do. On the 24th the neighbor Carl showed up and, to my dismay, took over with the dozer since he had previous professional experience. The next day I sprayed some weeds with a backpack that leaked chemical all over me. Fortunately we had the equivalent of a fire hose to spray me down with. Later I finally had a go at the bath for a bit of "bush luxury."
On the 26th James and I went to town to buy some kayaks and a $150 long line that James spotted in one of the stores. Out in the bay it proved to be a solid investment as we caught about 15 fish in 15 minutes!
Back at camp James was preparing the fish while I went down to get the grill from the paddock where he had previously camped out. As I grabbed the grill I was charged at by some nearby cows.. didn't know cows were territorial. That evening we fried and smoked up some Kowhai and Snapper for dinner.
The next day we joined Carl and his friend Trevor for a fishing trip in his boat over in Oakara Bay. That night we had dinner at Carls. On the 28th we scouted an access road to the top and I did some dozing for a building platform.
Over the next couple days I did some dozing and James left for Hamilton to see his family. I continued dozing and trapping possums and ended up bribing the delivery guy to bring our hut project wood up our crazy road for $20.
That day the dozer was picked up and I had myself a bit of a bonfire to celebrate.
On May 4th I kayaked down the stream to the bay as a storm hit. I kept at it as long as I could bare but, when the thunder and lightning started up, I decided to take a break. I stowed the kayak at someones holiday home and hiked back to camp. Later the weather cleared up a bit and I went back. The seas were a bit rough and a local passerby suggested I avoid it but I wasn't about to go all the way back without a bit of a paddle around. I managed to get the timing right between the waves and did some fishing before deciding I'd had enough - the swells were a good couple meters at least and one rogue wave almost capsized me. On the way back in I didn't time it quite right and my kayak got rolled in the waves but I had secured the pole so it didn't come off.
That night I awoke with pink eye from the stream water. I had seen it coming before so I grabbed my antibacterial soap, rubbing it around in my eyes, and went back to sleep. The next morning I woke up and the infection was gone.
On May 8th we packed up and stopped at Helena Bay to go fishing one last time. Unfortunately some crazy guy started yelling and cursing at us because he figured a storm was a brewin. I told him that he would have had a heart attack had he seen what I did a couple days back. At that his blood vessel in his forehead just about popped and we decided to just head over to Oakara Bay. Ten kilometres later we fished for a few hours then returned to Helena Bay where the sun was shining and the sea was calm.
After that James dropped me off at Kevin and Mary Brown's in Auckland so I could meet up with the others from Wellington.
