Adult Under Construction: June 2013

My parents once told me that if I ended up spending two years in New Zealand, they would try to come visit. New Zealand has become another home to me, and considering that it's not a place one can easily visit from North America, I was happy to give Mom and Dad a reason to make the trip. After a couple weeks spent zipping around the North Island and catching up with friends in Wellington, I flew to Christchurch to meet my parents after their trans-Pacific flight odyssey.

We only had two weeks to spend in the country together, unfortunately, so planning an itinerary was challenging. A number of compromises had to be made, especially as Dad was limited by some pretty serious sciatica aggravated by hours spent sitting in airplanes. Having just finished a meditative solo trip around the North Island, I had to adjust quickly to travelling not just as a group, but as a family. It had been just under a year since I'd even seen my parents, and now I was partly their tour guide as well as their son. And that's not to mention that I was still in the process of moving two years' worth of belongings back to North America. I had spent the previous year establishing a comfort zone in Arthur's Pass, and now I was emphatically out of it. With all that being said (or written), our trip went fantastically.

After meeting up in Christchurch airport and “uplifting” our rental car, we made a quick stop for some lunch and I drove us up to Arthur's Pass in the rain. We spent three nights there. I did my best to tie up loose ends while showing Mom and Dad around and introducing them to the people who shaped my time in the mountains. Mom, who hikes frequently back in Northern Ontario, quickly made the adjustment to hiking in the Southern Alps. Dad's sciatica kept him off the trails, but he learned more about local history in three days than I had in a year (thanks to John Charles).

We could have easily spent more time in Arthur's Pass, but our time was limited and there was more to see. So on Monday (Mom's birthday), I left the village that had been my home for the last time. We stopped in Greymouth to go to the post office, then in Hokitika to do some gift shopping, and then at the TreetopsWalk just south of Hokitika. I had hoped for another stop at the Bushmans Centre in Pukekura – my last chance at a possum pie! - but, being the low season, it was already closed. We ended that drive in Franz Josef, where we spent two nights. In addition to hiking, we arranged some more involved medical care for Dad in Fox Glacier and had medicine delivered via InterCity bus that would suffice for the rest of the trip.

After Franz Josef, we drove to Haast, where I had my last sight of the Tasman Sea, and then through the Haast Pass to Wanaka. It's easy to like Wanaka, and Mom and Dad certainly did. I made sure to go to Cinema Paradiso one more time – Dad and I watched The Company You Keep, but the film isn't really what matters when you go to Cinema Paradiso. It's the cookies. Mom kept hiking, and I took off on my own to walk up Isthmus Peak, on the isthmus between Lakes Wanaka and Hawea. It was a greater challenge than I thought, but well worth the views.

Our next destination was Lake Tekapo, the one spot on our journey that I had not visited. The drive over Lindis Pass was beautiful, but MacKenzie Country was the real stunner. After stopping in Omarama for lunch, we drove through Twizel and made a stop at the southern end of Lake Pukaki. It was a clear day, and Mt. Cook was visible at the other end. After tearing ourselves away from the great view, we continued on to Lake Tekapo. I've said it before and it's still true: New Zealand keeps finding new ways to amaze me. The scenery along that whole stretch of road was jaw-droppingly gorgeous. We spent two nights in Tekapo, taking tons of photos, marvelling at how the view across the lake was just as good by the light of the moon, and hiking up Mt. John.

Our longest drive on the South Island was between Tekapo and Kaikoura. We took the “inland scenic route” along highway 72 to Darfield, which was still mostly farmland, and made an afternoon stop in Christchurch. The red zone cordon had recently been reduced downtown, so I had my first sight of Christchurch Cathedral. I also introduced Mom and Dad to the Re:Start Mall, which was buzzing with activity. But we had to move on to Kaikoura, and stayed there two nights. After visiting the seal colony, Mom and I walked the Kaikoura Peninsula track and met up with Dad for a picnic in South Bay. We also spent some time arranging the logistics for the rest of our trip, as we were to return the rental car to Picton.

On the drive up to Picton, we stopped at the Ohau Point seal colony. Have I mentioned how New Zealand keeps finding new ways to amaze me? Like something out of an animated children's movie, we walked up a small stream from the ocean to a waterfall, at the bottom of which was a pool teeming with seal pups. Inland from the coastal seal colony, it was essentially a “seal daycare” where the parents leave their pups while they go fishing. Dad took a video (see below). There are no words to accurately describe it – simply one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

Our ferry from Picton was delayed by rough weather on the Cook Strait, but it was sunny in Picton. I made one last visit to the Village Bakkerij with Dad, then we all enjoyed the view of the waterfront while waiting for the boat to arrive. This strait crossing was my fourth, and the roughest one yet. I spent it lying down with my hat over my eyes to spare myself the sight of waves crashing over the side and other passengers losing their lunches. That kept me shipshape, and my biggest complaint was actually that we didn't get to arrive in Wellington in daylight.

We spent three nights in Wellington being tourists, dining out, and catching up with friends. On our last day there, Mom and Dad made their own bus tour of the city using the transit network while I did the last of my packing. Then we had a Wellington evening that could have been straight out of the Lonely Planet guidebook: dinner at KK Malaysian, a theatre production at Downstage Theatre, and gelato from Kaffee Eis for dessert. I hope it wasn't my last time in Wellington, but at least that was a great way to finish if it was.

As renting a car was the cheapest way for us to get to Auckland (we left it too late to buy plane tickets), we spent our last full day in New Zealand on the road. It's a long drive, but we have a family history that includes plenty of those. And I was thrilled that Mom and Dad were able to see some of the North Island too. We followed SH1 from Wellington to Auckland through Taupo, and although we bypassed Hamilton, it was almost exactly the same route I followed on the bus my first day in the country. After finding our hotel near the airport, I spent my last night in the country watching rugby at the pub downstairs. Again, if that was my last time in New Zealand – and I hope it wasn't – it's not a bad way to go out.

Dad walking in the treetops.

Saying goodbye to the Tasman Sea at Haast Beach.

Lake Hawea from Isthmus Peak.

That's Mt. Cook on the left.

At Lake Tekapo.

Lake Tekapo.

Christchurch Cathedral.


Mom and I at Ohau Point seal colony.


Ohau Point. See video below...

Ruapehu.

Dad and I at Lake Taupo.

When I extended my stay in New Zealand, my new visa tied me to my job in Arthur's Pass. As a result, my mobility was slightly more limited than it had been under my working holiday visa. I had left most of the North Island unexplored when I ventured South, intending to revisit it later. When I stopped work at the end of April, over a month before my visa expired, I finally kept that promise to myself.

My plan was to tour the North Island in a rented campervan. It would allow me greater mobility than the bus network, and the ability to create my own itinerary as I went. Luckily, May is the beginning of the low season for tourism in New Zealand, and quite a few rental companies offer relocation deals as they prepare for the summer's onslaught of tourists. I managed to find such a deal through Spaceships Rentals, the terms of which were pretty simple: if I picked up the van in Christchurch and returned it to Auckland, I could have it for as many days as I wanted at 50% off. Not bad. I did have to pay for the ferry, which costs significantly more with a vehicle, and $30/day for insurance, simply because of some complications with my finances.

I rented the van for 16 days, and spent much of my time driving. It had been two years since I'd driven any motorized vehicle, and I was content to be behind the wheel in one of the world's most beautiful countries for hours at a stretch. My van was equipped with a gas cooker and a bed, so my only concerns were food, fuel, and finding places to park overnight. The last was the greatest challenge, not for lack of space but for the legal uncertainty surrounding overnight parking. Some New Zealanders have an extreme mistrust of “freedom campers” - tourists who attempt to travel the country while paying for as little as possible. I am not one of those, I just believe that driving around with a bed in the back of my van is pointless if I still have to pay for somewhere to sleep. But I managed to avoid paying much, either by finding free places or staying at the reasonably-priced Department of Conservation sites. And once or twice I treated myself to a night at a campground for the better facilities, location, and added security.

Blessed with good weather, I drove just over 3800 kilometres in 16 days, and have now seen pretty much every part of the North Island except Wairarapa and Wanganui. Here's a few of the highlights:

Highway 35 north of Gisborne is a series of bays with plenty of freedom camping and countless spectacular views. Whale Rider was filmed in this area. I passed through as the sun was going down, unfortunately, but what I saw was incredible. That drive also took me to the East Cape, where I was one of the first people to see the sun rise on May 4. The sunrise was blocked by cloud, but the drive back as the sun rose along the hills was a treat.

The climb to the low peak of Mt. Taranaki was short but strenuous. I think it was the first time I've stood on an active volcano. The small town of Okato on the Taranaki coast was a nice place to stop for a bite, and New Plymouth is probably the most underrated urban centre I've been to in the entire country.

Northland was surprisingly awesome. It's much bigger than I realized and I missed plenty of things. What I did see in my brief visit included the Waipoua Forest, which holds the largest trees in the country; Cape Reinga, where the Tasman meets the Pacific; Waitangi, where the treaty that began the country was signed; and Whangarei, another underrated urban centre. The biggest surprise, however, was Hokianga Harbour. I had to pull over when I got my first glimpse of it – stunning.

The whole trip was great and I would have happily continued it for the rest of the month. But I returned the van to Auckland, flew to Wellington for a three-day visit, and then flew to Christchurch to meet my parents, which is where the next phase of my departure from New Zealand began.