An A+ for Effort

On 2 January this year a storm front bearing driving rain, gale force winds and even snowfalls passed over the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Walkers and car drivers were trapped by landslides and bridges and roads were washed away. On the east coast at Akaroa we were blissfully unaware of the dramas caused by this unseasonable weather. The first sign of the storm for us was the heavy rain which fell on our last night. The following day as we drove from Akaroa to Wanaka we were congratulating ourselves on our good fortune in seeing the Southern Alps blanketed by fresh snow.

It was only on 5 January in Wanaka that we found out that the storm might have played havoc with our travel plans. At the Tourist Information Centre we saw a travel warning: State Highway 6 was closed north of Harihari. Several spans of a major bridge over the Wanganui River had been washed away and it was not known how long the road would be cut.

Our plan after leaving Wanaka on 7 January had been to travel west to Fox Glacier and spend a day there before a full day’s drive north east to Picton along that same highway. After receiving some local advice we decided that as much as we wanted to see the glacier it would be wiser to make our way up the east coast instead. Luckily we were just a few hours inside the full refund deadline for cancelling our accommodation at Fox Glacier.

We had almost convinced ourselves that our new itinerary would just as enjoyable when on 6 January we started hearing reports that the bridge would be repaired and reopened by 8 January. In Australia the words “roadwork” and “haste” are never heard in the same sentence so we were sceptical when we heard the bridge would be passable just six days after being so badly damaged. Those same locals whose first recommendation had been not to take the risk now said that if the New Zealand Transport Agency stated the bridge would be fixed, then that’s what would happen.

So it was with bated breath on the morning of 7 January that we phoned the owner of the holiday apartments in Fox Glacier to ask firstly if they’d heard any news about the bridge and secondly if we could re-book our unit if the road was open. She answered yes to both questions.  Not only was the bridge being repaired but it would be ready a day ahead of schedule. Our west coast adventure was back on track!

After an incredible visit to Fox Glacier we headed north along State Highway 6 on 9 January in pouring rain, passing roadwork which continued on regardless of the conditions.

These photos were taken through the windscreen of the car.

If it hadn’t been so wet and cold I would have stopped and thanked these workers and given gold stars all round. Their efforts were truly worthy.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Pattern

One of my passions, apart from travelling and writing, is quilt making, and everywhere I go I always see great quilting designs. Gates can be elaborate and highly ornamented or plain and practical but they all provide endless inspiration for new patterns. I am still to put the inspiration into practice but when I do I’ll have plenty of photos to reference.

On the Thames Pathway at Hampton Court Palace, London

In the cemetery at The Abbey Church of St Peter, Salzburg.

Symmetry and simplicity – the gateway to the Bedouin Desert Camp, Wahiba Sands, Oman

Entry into the churchyard at Holy Trinity Church, Bosham, England

A portal between the old town and the new, Rothenburg, Germany

The gates of Buckingham Palace, London. No one heard me knocking!

A Certain Shade of Green

One of the best known icons of New Zealand is Pounamu, also known as nephrite jade or greenstone. It is found on the west coast of the South Island in the rivers and on the beaches, especially after wild weather. Māori people have used Pounamu for centuries in their tools, weapons and ornamentation and it is considered an honour to receive a worked piece as a gift.

The little town of Hokitika, which means “place of return”, is the centre of Pounamu carving and sales on the west coast. There are several shops and Pounamu carving factories in the main shopping area of Hokitika. The Te Waipounamu Maori Heritage Centre has an excellent range of carvings and beautiful jewelry. In the workroom visitors can watch as artisan carvers shape the stone into traditional and modern designs.

Further along the street the Bonz’n’Stonz Carving Studio is a hive of activity with students creating their own masterpieces under the watchful eye of their tutor.

In another carving studio Des shares not only his work but his love of the stone through his stories. He tells how the Māori would come to the west coast to find Pounamu, take it back to their homes and carve it with sandstone. He is making several Tiki, good luck symbols associated with fertility.

Away from the main street is the Traditional Jade Co, a family owned shop with a carving factory at the back and unique jewelry and other pieces for sale in the front. Almost all of their stone is local, unlike some of the other shops which stock more imported jade than New Zealand stone, and the jewelry is locally made and reasonably priced.

The young woman behind the counter explains how her grandfather and father go fossicking for Pounamu after storms and heavy rain. They bring back the best pieces to add to their collection.

One day these stones will be transformed into objects of wonder and beauty; prized possessions and honoured gifts.

Weekly Photo Challenge – From Above

I am fascinated each time I view a city from on high. I like to seek out the well known places we’ve visited and follow the roads we’ve taken. Looking straight down adds another perspective – it’s always much higher up there than it looks from the ground.

The London Eye

The Eiffel Tower

 

 

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

“Sleep” is the theme of this week’s A Word a Week Challenge at A Word in Your Ear

The Sun King Louis XIV slept here when he was in residence at the Palace of Versailles, in France.

Queen Caroline’s bedroom at Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich, Germany. On 25 August, 1845 the child destined to become King Ludwig II was born here.

This bed with its beautiful patchwork quilt is in a tiny cob and thatch cottage in Dorset. The cottage was the birthplace of the author Thomas Hardy, and where his early novels were written. Perhaps he slept here.

In September the city of Toowoomba, in Queensland Australia, hosts the annual Carnival of Flowers. This “garden bed” is purely ornamental – maybe a bird slept here.

At the Safari Desert Camp, in the Wahiba Sands in Oman, is a collection of traditional Bedouin tents complete with beautifully decorated furniture. I slept here!

 

Weekly Photo Challenge – Culture

Three Australians and one Indonesian, drinking Japanese style tea in a tea room in Muscat, Oman. It was a multicultural experience!

Walking on Ice

In 2012 a guided hike on Fox Glacier with Fox Glacier Guiding was 64th on the AA Travel “101 Must-Do List for Kiwis”, but it was number one on my wish list when we visited the West Coast of New Zealand. Mr ET was surprised by the cost but I was adamant that I was going whether he did or not! Of course, he had no intention of missing out…

Fox Glacier and its twin Franz Josef are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Area of Te Wahipounamu. It is one of the few glaciers in the world that is advancing instead of retreating and its terminal ends in dense green rainforest only 300 metres above sea level.

There are several ways of viewing Fox depending on budget, age and fitness levels. We decided to go on the guided helihike with Fox Glacier Guiding as it gave us the opportunity to hike on the ice in places that would be inaccessible on our own. The usual advice is that tours are dependent on weather conditions and although it was overcast and showery we made our booking the day before in the hope it would be fine the following day.

During the night we lay in bed listening to the rain pouring down and thinking that our chances weren’t good, but in the morning when we drew back the curtains in our room the view was glorious. Clear blue sky and a fresh dusting of snow on the highest peaks – it couldn’t have been better.

Our tour started at the helipad but before we could take off we needed to be kitted out and instructed in the safety requirements of the day. We’d been told to wear layered warm clothing, while thick socks and heavy leather hiking boots were included in the cost of our tour. They weren’t exactly fashionable but I knew once we were on the ice I’d be grateful for the protection they provided. We learned how to board the helicopter safely, use our headsets while flying and climb down to a safe area once we arrived on the glacier. Most important was the instruction to squat with our arms over our heads facing away from the helicopter when it took off again, as ice chips go hurtling through the air in the updraft.

It took only a few minutes to leave Fox Glacier township behind and fly up and over the glacier. We travelled along the length of the ice floe, over the mountains and the upper reaches of the glacier, and circled Victoria Falls before landing in the centre of the glacier.

Once the helicopter left the only sound was that of water flowing under the ice and dripping from the tops of ice caves, until there was a low rumbling as rocks and soil tumbled down the slope on a nearby mountain. Dean, our guide, assured us that minor landslides like this happen frequently after rain and aren’t dangerous.

There was one more thing to do before we started hiking. Everyone was given a set of spiky metal crampons, which attached to our boots and gave us traction on the slippery surfaces, and a walking pole to aid our balance.

Finally we were ready to go. We played follow the leader as Dean took us past deep blue crevasses, tiny sparkling waterfalls and blindingly white hillocks of hard-packed ice. Occasionally we waited as he searched for the best route and carved out steps with his pickaxe.

The highlight of the day came when Dean discovered the entry to an ice cave hidden in the side of a frozen hill. He set up a knotted rope tethered to hooks which were hammered into the wall of the cave and showed us the best way to get into the cave. That was easier said than done and instead of an elegant and controlled entrance I simply slid from the top of the cave to the floor as if I was on a rollercoaster. Once there I was left breathless, as much by my surroundings as my helter skelter descent. The ice inside the cave glowed, luminous and blue, and a frosty silence wrapped itself around us.

If entering the ice cave was tricky, climbing out again was even more difficult. Those crampons really earned their keep as I dug them into the walls of the cave and pushed with my legs, while pulling myself up by the rope, one knot at a time.

After 2 ½ hours on the ice it was time to make our way back to the helicopter landing site and return to the township.

We had one last birds-eye view of the glacier as we flew high and then swooped down its length, over the Fox River and the forest. As we landed, Mr ET turned to me with a glowing smile and said: “That was the best thing I have ever done.” Money well spent!